"Trader" Murtha's dealmaking--then and now?

Eric Pfeiffer published some damning information from the recently available 53-minute ABSCAM tape (linked here), which has again made John Murtha into a reluctant, re-born movie star:

The video was released last week on the American Spectator Web site (www.spectator.org), a conservative publication. The magazine says it received the video from a source close to the Abscam investigation.

"It was widely reported that he provided testimony against others," Mrs. Irey said, when asked why Mr. Murtha was not prosecuted for his ties to the Abscam investigation.

Mr. Murtha cooperated with officials in the prosecution of former Democratic Reps. Frank Thompson of New Jersey and John Murphy of New York. In July 1981, the House ethics committee ruled there was no evidence Mr. Murtha acted improperly, although E. Barrett Prettyman Jr., the special counsel assigned to the committee, resigned in protest. The FBI listed Mr. Murtha as an "unindicted co-conspirator" in the scandal.

Near the end of the 54-minute video of the meeting, Mr. Murtha and Philadelphia lawyer Howard Criden return to the room after a brief absence. Mr. Criden then begins speaking to undercover FBI agent Anthony Amoroso, who posed as "Tony DeVito," the purported sheik's representative.

"John says it's OK for you to give me what's in the drawer," Mr. Criden says, according to the Spectator's transcript of the video.

"Is that all right, Tony?" Mr. Murtha asks Mr. Amoroso. Then, referring to Thompson and Murphy, Mr. Murtha says: "Let me make it very clear. The other two guys do expect to be taken care of. ... And you're gonna have to deal through [Mr. Criden]. Me, you've got my deal."

Ironic, isn't it--coming from a guy who to this day continues to brag about being a "dealmaker" in Washington. More reminiscent of a Sopranos episode than what should be coming from the Halls of Congress.

Even today, when it comes to "earmarks," Jack Murtha practically invented them...

It looks like a scene out of an old movie: one about shady politicians and back-room deals. You can almost smell the cigar smoke and see the dirty money changing hands.

But unfortunately, it’s not an old film. It’s a real-life picture of the United States Congress. The cigars are gone, but the dirty deal-making is thoroughly up-to-date. And at the head of it is Rep. John Murtha (D) of Pennsylvania.

As the New York Times put it this week, Murtha has operated a “political trading post in a back corner of the House of Representatives.” Earmarks are expenditures that bypass the budgeting process and earn approval without debate. Many are infamous—like Alaska’s “bridge to nowhere.”

Murtha's "business as usual" way of doing things resembles more of a two-bit bookie parlor than it does a place where the best interests of the electorate are supposed to be decided:

On a typical day, according to the Times, “a gang of about two dozen Democrats mill around [Murtha’s] seat. A procession of others walk back to request pet spending projects.” Republicans come by, too, hoping to convince Murtha to enlist Democrats “to join them on close votes.”

As the Times puts it, “As the top Democrat on the House military spending subcommittee, [Murtha] often delivers Democratic votes to Republican leaders in a tacit exchange for earmarks for himself and his allies.” Whether lawmakers are looking for votes or a piece of pork, “Nobody ever leaves completely disappointed,” says one member.

Earmarks waste a whopping $64 billion a year, and they corrupt lawmakers, bribing them “to vote for a piece of legislation they wouldn’t ordinarily give two minutes to,” according to another member.

They also allow special-interest groups to put a stranglehold on our political system. But Murtha is unapologetic about what he does. “Deal making is what Congress is all about,” he says.

Mr. Murtha, treating earmarks like the Hokey Pokey. Come to think of it, if you or I did business with other people's money like Jack Murtha and his buddies in Congress, we'd be in the pokey.

Kinda makes one take pause to wonder whether the John Murtha style of "dealmaking" in the ABSCAM situation continues to be a telling indicator of John Murtha's style of "dealmaking" today.

At this point it doesn't seem like much of a stretch, does it?

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