Murtha endorses Clinton

JOHNSTOWN, Pa., March 19 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., has endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., for the Democratic Party nomination for president.

Murtha, a decorated Vietnam veteran, becomes the first superdelegate to back Clinton since the Ohio and Texas primaries March 4, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Wednesday.

Murtha, who created a stir in 2005 by calling for an end to the war in Iraq, said in a statement Tuesday that Clinton has "a similar position" on the conflict.

Clinton is "the candidate that will forge a consensus on healthcare, education, the economy and the war in Iraq," he said.

Murtha, of Johnstown, Pa., is chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives appropriations subcommittee that oversees defense spending.