I stand by my earlier statement on the alleged war crimes at Haditha: Don’t know. Can’t. Won’t until a court martial, if in fact one is convened, sifts the evidence, weighs the testimony, looks the accused in the eyes. Our system works.

Things seem to be coming to a head, however:

Evidence collected on the deaths of 24 Iraqis in Haditha supports accusations that U.S. Marines deliberately shot the civilians, including unarmed women and children, a Pentagon official said Wednesday.

Agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service have completed their initial work on the incident last November, but may be asked to probe further as Marine Corps and Navy prosecutors review the evidence and determine whether to recommend criminal charges, according to two Pentagon officials who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity.

The decision on whether to press criminal charges ultimately will be made by the commander of the accused Marines’ parent unit, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif. That currently is Lt. Gen. John Sattler, but he is scheduled to move to a Pentagon assignment soon; his successor will be Lt. Gen. James Mattis.

Meanwhile, the Staff Sergeant in charge of the implicated squad has his own answer to John Murtha’s accusations that his men had murdered civilians “in cold blood.” A lawsuit:

A Marine Corps staff sergeant who led the squad accused of killing two dozen civilians in Haditha, Iraq, will file a lawsuit today in federal court in Washington claiming that Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) defamed him when the congressman made public comments about the incident earlier this year.

Attorneys for Frank D. Wuterich, 26, argue in court papers that Murtha tarnished the Marine’s reputation by telling news organizations in May that the Marine unit cracked after a roadside bomb killed one of its members and that the troops “killed innocent civilians in cold blood.” Murtha also said repeatedly that the incident was covered up.

Murtha of course is a retired Marine reservist, and has long been counted as a friend to servicemen, if not always a pal to the Pentagon bureaucracy. His words on the alleged Haditha crimes – which some have labelled “intemperate,” if not libelous – on appearance seem to have been less to do with the issue of SSGT Wuterich’s guilt or innocence then Murtha’s pursuit of a policy change – rapid withdrawl of US troops from Iraq to nearby and secure locations from whence they can support the elected Iraqi government. Nearby places like, oh Guam. For example.

As always, we jump to judgement based on accusations at our peril. The accusers are very close to telling their tale. In time, the accused will have a story of their own to tell. Let us wait and see.