On Friday Murtha was called a coward on the floor of the House by newly elected Republican Congresswoman Jean Schmidt. Then on Friday night the Republican leadership moved to silence Murtha’s criticism by introducing a bill that was worded in a manner designed to split the Democratic Party The Republican bill proposed “the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately.” The bill was rejected 403 to 3. The only legislators backing the measure were Democrats Cynthia McKinney of Georgia, Jose Serrano of New York and Robert Wexler of Florida. McKinney lashed out at the Republicans for distorting Murtha’s message. She said “They took his words and contorted them; they took his heartfelt sentiments and spun them. They took his resolution and deformed it: in a cheap effort to silence dissent in the House of Representatives.”