Breaking: Representative John Murtha (D-PA) Has Died: John Murtha Dead at 77 (UPDATED)

by the Left Coast Rebel

Sure to shake up Washington and the political landscape, despite being an (obvious) foe to my political value system and the 'king of earmarks', our thoughts and prayers go out to John Murtha's family today. Apparently John Murtha passed away from complications with gall bladder surgery at the Virginia Hospital Center. I'm reading that John Murtha passed away on this afternoon at 1:18 EST. WaPo:

Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), 77, a Vietnam veteran who staunchly supported military spending and became a master of pork-barrel politics, died today following gallbladder surgery at Virginia Hospital Center.

Fox News incorrectly states that Murtha passed away on Wednesday:

Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. John Murtha, the first veteran of the Vietnam war to enter Congress and one of the body's most powerful lawmakers, died Wednesday morning at Virginia Hospital Center after complications from gallbladder surgery. Murtha was 77.

Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. John Murtha, the first veteran of the Vietnam war to enter Congress and one of the body's most powerful lawmakers, died Wednesday morning at Virginia Hospital Center after complications from gallbladder surgery. Murtha was 77.

"Congressman John P. Murtha (PA-12) passed away peacefully this afternoon at 1:18 p.m. at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va. At his bedside was his family," reads a statement from his office.

UPDATED: Some facts on Murtha from Bloomberg:

User of Earmarks

Murtha’s seat on the Appropriations Committee enabled him to become one of Congress’s most adept users of the earmark process to send money to specific projects back home. The John Murtha Johnston-Cambria County Airport was among the more visible results of his taxpayer-funded largess. Murtha steered an estimated $150 million in federal funds to the airport, the Washington Post reported in 2009.

Abscam Investigation

Earlier in his career, he was investigated -- though not prosecuted -- in the Abscam bribery scandal that led to the convictions of seven other lawmakers in the 1980s.

Murtha’s use of earmarks and ties to lobbyists made him a top target of good-government groups. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington labeled him one of the “most corrupt” members of Congress.

‘Racist Area’

Murtha won his 18th full term in 2008 even after seeming to insult his district by calling it “a racist area” where some voters might be reluctant to vote for Barack Obama. He later apologized.

UPDATEDx2: Via HotAir,a special election will be held in 60 days to fill Murtha's seat. Get to work Tea Partiers!

With Murtha gone, however, the special election will be seriously contested. Murtha’s district is the only one in the country won by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004 and by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in 2008, according to Republican sources, and that trend line coupled with the volatile national environment for Democrats ensures Republicans will heavily target the contest.