Per the New York Times, Haditha was supposed to be the “defining atrocity” of the Iraq War.
Eight men were charged. Charges against six were dropped. One was found not guilty. Then there was one:
A military judge dismissed charges Tuesday against a Marine officer accused of failing to investigate the killings of 24 Iraqis.
Col. Steven Folsom dismissed charges against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani after finding that a four-star general overseeing the case was improperly influenced by an investigator probing the November 2005 shootings by a Marine squad in Haditha.
Ah, well.
The only remaining charges are those lodged against SSG Frank Wuterich in a case that ex-Marine John Murtha once hoped would hammer a nail in the Mesopotamian Democracy experiment.
War is hard. People get hurt. Some will use those facts for political advantage.
Semper Fi, Staff Sergeant.
And when all is said and done, will the only living (and only ever-known) ex-Marine offer up an apology?
*crickets*
I didn’t think so.
murtha would if he had even shred of decency.
sadly, though, he’s proved time and time again that he does not.
Why do the fine people of his district keep sending him back to represent them? Are we so easily bought? I guess the answer is “yes, we are”.
Because the ex-Marine loves him some pork. Lots and lots of pork, which always benefits his district…
Murtha said-
“Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.”
“Relatives of the Haditha Marines have called for Congress to censure Murtha, who cuts and runs to the nearest elevator when questioned about the Haditha dismissals.”
Fat chance..literally.
b2
Why do the fine people of his district keep sending him back to represent them?
My theory? Brand identity. It’s easier to just pick the name you recognize than it is to be infomred on whom you’re voting for. It works the same way with Kennedy, Byrd, and the other denizens of the Worlds Most
DeliberativeDesireableBodySinecure.There is an Army Vet running to replace Murtha:
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/06/18/boot-murtha-support-bill-russell/
If Murtha doesn’t cowboy up and apologize to the families of the Haditha Marines, Congress should certainly censure him. Being a member of Congress doesn’t, or shouldn’t, protect you from charges of slander. Oh wait … I guess it does. And this is one of the many reasons I personally disrespect most of Congress.
Marianne
Murtha? Get a rope.
Those that live by the lynching…
You know, maybe this is the “defining atrocity”.
Or will be if #8 gets his case tossed out as well.
I’m disturbed at the increasing lack of civility and decency in behavior by members of Congress: John Murtha playing judge and jury to wrongfully condemn the Haditha Marines, Jim Webb telling the President how the Senate will ’show him the way’, and Harry Reid telling the President of the United States to ‘drop dead’.
Their audacity sickens me…
An interesting thought, if #8 gets his case tossed out as well, what will have been the damage of Murtha’s initial statements? Certainly an Iraqui who probably thinks his kinsman was murdered by an American Marine isn’t going to believe justice was served. Certainly he will question of what use is a democracy and a judiciary when the guilty go free on technicalities.
Murtha may have done more to damage the war effort and the chances of a free Iraq than even the fabled Abu Ghraib stories have. After all, Iraqui’s understand the humiliation and even torture and abuse of prisoners. Under Saddam, that was perfectly normal behavior. But to place justice in the hands of others outside their neighborhood and accept the results of a trial that contradicts the conclusions of national and regional leaders?
Ya know, it says a great deal about us that politicians have such a low approval rating. Perhaps we’ve just exported the greatest flaw of a democracy, popularity contests leading to direct political power.
– Max
Have you seen this?
http://wnd.com/index.php?a=PAGE.view&pageId=67434
I got no comment, just shaking my head at it all.