By Jon Stevens, Staff writer

jstevens@observer-reporter.com

WAYNESBURG - When William Russell decided to run for Congress in Pennsylvania's 12th District, he knew it would be a difficult task to unseat an entrenched Democratic incumbent like John Murtha, D-Johnstown.

But what the 46-year-old retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel is finding on his campaign stumps through the sprawling district is that many people think Murtha has lost touch and it's time for a change.

"We are hearing a lot about change, especially in the presidential race," Russell said during a stop Thursday in Greene County.

"When we hear Barack Obama calling for change, he is presenting the same economic policies that have been practiced in Western Pennsylvania for 30 years, and after 30 years of government-directed economic development, our greatest export is young college graduates, not coal or natural gas," he said.

Russell, a Republican from Johnstown who made it onto the November ballot on write-in votes in the primary, said he is offering a contrast to what Murtha has done in his 34 years in the House. Instead of developing an economy that is dependent on any one congressman going back to Congress and providing earmarks every two years, his plan is "to concentrate on building businesses that are meeting demands of national and international markets," he said.

The bottom line, Russell said, is "we need to develop an economy that is independent of any one congressman."

He's opposed to Murtha's stance on the war in Iraq. As a member of the military, Russell served six tours in hostile areas including Iraq and Kosovo, and he was in the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

"The biggest motivator in my decision to run is Murtha's stance on the war in Iraq," he said.

He said when Murtha first called for a withdrawal from Iraq, "he essentially put out a U.S. Congress stamp of approval on enemy propaganda."

Russell said Murtha apparently forgot the lessons learned from Vietnam "when the North Vietnamese depended on our anti-war movement to undermine our political will to stay and fight," he said.

Now, Russell said, Murtha's comments have had the same effect on the Islamic enemy.

Some of Russell's other positions include support for the Second Amendment, tough border enforcement and prosecution of employers who hire illegals, and the development of coal-to-liquid technology.

Russell believes Murtha is vulnerable, pointing to the 15 to 20 percent undervote he received in the primary when he had no Democratic opposition.

That meant people were voting for Hillary (Clinton) or Obama and other candidates, but not voting for him. That says something," Russell said.

"Most people are conservative in this region," Russell said, "and I believe most people understand select pork projects benefit only a select few."

The 12th Congressional District covers all of Greene County and parts of Washington, Allegheny, Armstrong, Cambria, Fayette, Indiana, Somerset and Westmoreland counties.

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