Y'all Knew I Was Going To Touch On This

I have been watching the news unfold over the Haditha incident that Representative Jack Murtha brought up about a week ago, and at first, I had to jump on him. Without any further evidence released by him or anyone else, the story sounded phony. Now, it seems, that it may not have been so. The Times points out:

A military investigator uncovered evidence in February and March that contradicted repeated claims by marines that Iraqi civilians killed in Haditha last November were victims of a roadside bomb, according to a senior military official in Iraq.

Among the pieces of evidence that conflicted with the marines' story were death certificates that showed all the Iraqi victims had gunshot wounds, mostly to the head and chest, the official said.

The investigation, which was led by Col. Gregory Watt, an Army officer in Baghdad, also raised questions about whether the marines followed established rules for identifying hostile threats when they assaulted houses near the site of a bomb attack, which killed a fellow marine.

The three-week inquiry was the first official investigation into an episode that was first uncovered by Time magazine in January and that American military officials now say appears to have been an unprovoked attack by the marines that killed 24 Iraqi civilians. The results of Colonel Watt's investigation, which began on Feb. 14, have not previously been disclosed.

It should be noted that Colonel Watt's investigation is not complete, and very little has trickled out of his office in regard to this story. Also, for the Times to breathlessly report that the Pentagon had begun an investigation of this before Representative Murtha's allegations is utterly retarded. Of course the Pentagon was investigating this, as were the Marines. This is no different than the media admitting months after the Abu Ghraib incident that the Pentagon had been working on an investigation the whole time.

Yes, unfortunately for the MSM, the military does know how to take care of its own. The abusers at Abu Ghraib were punished. And should it be determined that these Marines committed a crime, they, too, will be punished. We cannot excuse this act if it has occurred. But I would like to take issue with a couple of things I keep seeing and hearing.

First, to the MSM, this is not My Lai. My Lai was an atrocity during Vietnam that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians. Haditha had only 24 deaths. The soldiers at My Lai clearly had no intention of allowing a single villager to live. Had the Marines in Haditha desired the same thing, there would be no survivors to make the accusations in the first place. While this is a crime--again, if it has occurred--this is not the atrocity that My Lai was. The MSM needs to drop this misnomer; to maintain such is a slander on our troops.

Next, to Representative Jack Murtha, whose words serve to malign our troops. Yes, we have had two instances where people have been abused or murdered. Not bad for the professional military over the course of three years in country. And while those responsible for crimes committed should be disdained (remember they are innocent until proven guilty, please, Rep. Murtha), the rest of our troops should be celebrated for a job well done, up to this point, and be given encouragement from the nation to finish the job that was started. Representative Murtha would prefer to paint a picture with a broad brush that our troops are doing no good in Iraq, and they are all stressed out.

I sincerely doubt the second allegation, and the first is a bald-faced lie.

Representative Murtha will not change his tune. He is spouting the mantra of the John Kerry, extreme Left, antiwar Democrats, and getting patted on the back the whole way. As this man is up for reelection this year, I do hope his constituents punish him for his disrespect to our troops in Iraq. If this is to be his talking points until the mission is done in Iraq, I want him gone from the House. Our troops do not need to hear this sort of drivel from an elected representative in Congress. If Representative Murtha feels that we are doing a bad job over there, or that our troops are at their wit's end, I suggest he pick up a rifle and stand at post.

Either way one looks at it, John Murtha needs to keep his mouth shut, and allow the Marines and Pentagon to finish their investigation to determine whether these Marines committed a crime. If they did, the Marines will not give them a pass. Their next stop will be Fort Leavenworth, or a return to civilian life with a dishonorable discharge.

The Bunny ;)