Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) speaks during a news conference May 17, 2006, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
His call for U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq made the Vietnam veteran a political star last year. But now that John Murtha is back in his old role as chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, his plan to block President George W. Bush's troop increase has divided Democrats, who fear political fallout. The ex-Marine, 74, spoke with TIME's Massimo Calabresi about the military's limits, earmarking and why some defense contractors are big music fans.
Does the U.S. have enough combat-ready troops for the President's latest Iraq plan?
We can't sustain this surge. You can deploy the people, but you can't sustain...
