Rep. Murtha steals the show at Panetta Lecture

Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha displayed some of the liveliness that attracted so much controversy last November at the first Panetta lecture series event of 2006 held on March 27, 2006 at the Steinbeck Forum of the Monterey Conference Center. Murtha, a Veteran and a formerly pro-war Democrat, created a stir in November when he announced his support for withdrawal of American troops in Iraq. He stuck my his message during the debate, in which he was joined by former 9/11 commission member Slade Gorton and Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass. Panetta's theme was democracy in the context of Iraq, including such familiar issues as whether Iraq could support a democracy and whether or not Iraq was moving toward such a state.

Murtha repeatedly claimed that the Iraq situation was a failure due to a lack of basic resources for the Iraqi people, citing the low number of citizens with running water and electricity. He was outspoken regarding the presence of a civil war in Iraq, claiming that the country was already in such a state and that the continued rhetoric of the Bush administration was not only false but damaging to the troops. Murtha was at his most intense when describing a visit to Walter Reed hospital in Maryland, and talking to a recent Iraq soldier who could "only move his eyeballs." He displayed some of the moderate nature that made his 2005 statements so surprising, including a description of the Persian Gulf War as "amazing" and "perfect," an extremely damning statement when considering the abandonment of American principles that Murtha feels the current operation represents.

Murtha's intensity was countered by the distanced intellectualism of Haass, who asserted that the war was "ill-advised," but stated that a civil war was in the making but not presently occuring. Haass's most interesting observation concerned the presence of a democractic state amidist Islam, which he made clear was complicated in Iraq by the presence of different religious and ethnic groups. He stated that an abject seperation of Church and State in an Islamic society was vitrually impossible under Islamic law and that any Iraqi democracy will "not look like America."

Apparently attempting to provide some balance to war critic Murtha, Panetta included former senator Slade Gorton, who served on the 9/11 comission. Gorton, however, certainly was not in the position of full support of the war, only going as far as to say that Iraq was not in the throes of a civil war at this time and that withdrawal was not a prudent solution. Panetta didn't adaquately explore with Gorton the commission's findings regarding the link between Iraq and al-Qaeda, and the overall tone of the questioning was in many ways consistent with the excessively genial mood that Panetta probably requires to continue to bring in such distinguished guests.

The Panetta series continued its tradition of holding its events away from the campus of CSUMB, despite the presence of Univesity logos and Panetta's invoking of the University in his opening statements. The crowd was typically large, but inlcuded a dearth of the University crowd that one would expect considering the apparent integration of Panetta's institute and CSUMB. It's unfortunate that Panetta does not feel that CSUMB is an adaquate venue, however his representation of the university is somewhat specious considering the lack of advertising of the event on campus and the seeming disinterest in informing and exciting students and faculty about what may be the most impressive feature of CSUMB. The event is broadcast on local cable and webcast on the institute's website, however any video of the event is restricted because of the institute's desire to sell copies of the lectures. Perhaps they are waiting for the University to project a more posiive image, both physically and through performance and reputation, though failing to adaquately represent CSUMB currently is a large problem that needs addressing.