10 Questions for John Murtha

ENLARGE PHOTO+

Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) speaks during a news conference May 17, 2006, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Win Mcnamee / Getty

• Share

(2 of 2)

They'll all get exactly the same amount of money. [But] we have 13 or 14 more Democrats than Republicans. Earmarking is a very important part of our jobs.

Do you still think House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's proposal for earmark reform is "crap"?

I said ethics reform was crap, not earmark reform. These guys [like disgraced former Defense Appropriations Subcommittee member Randy (Duke) Cunningham] broke the law, so [why are we] reforming ourselves when these guys broke the law? On earmark reform, I don't disagree with transparency. I think that's not bad at all.

Do you have any qualms about dealing with lobbying firms in scandals, some of whom represent interests in your district, Johnstown, Pa.?

We do some of the work in the district, but it has to measure up. That's all there is to it.

Your wife is a big supporter of the Johnstown symphony, which has a lot of defense contractors who support it, some of whom are even on the board. Are you a big classical-music fan?

Well, I'll put it this way, I'm beginning to enjoy the classics. [Laughs.] I don't know about the board; I know that some of [the contractors] support it.