Iraq war critic Congressman John Murtha dies at 77

Longtime Pennsylvania Democratic Representative John Murtha died Monday afternoon due to complications from recent gallbladder surgery.

The somewhat controversial lawmaker was 77 years old.  He was first elected to Congress back in 1974.  A former Marine, he became the first Vietnam War combat Veteran elected to the Congress.

Despite that lengthy career, he received the most notoriety of his career back in 2005, when he became an outspoken and respected critic against the Iraq war.  He had supported the 2002 resolution to go to war, but he later blasted the Bush administration's war effort, calling it a "flawed policy wrapped in illusion."

This article appears in Feb 3-9, 2010.