Carlos Hathcock, the greatest sniper of all time and one of the most revered of the Faithful, purposely wore a white feather.
(BTW Marine Sniper has 182 reviews.)
Posted on 06/24/2006 11:26:51 AM PDT by RWR8189
THE MEDIA COVERAGE of the killing of 24 Iraqis at Haditha has given rich new definition to the phrase "rush to judgment." The coverage, plus the reaction of antiwar politicians like Democratic representative John Murtha, amounts to a public verdict of guilty, rendered against a handful of Marines, before an investigation of the bloody incident is completed or a trial (if there is one) held.
An egregious example was MSNBC host Chris Matthews's interview with Murtha on May 17. Asked to "draw us a picture of what happened in Haditha," the congressman said he'd tell "exactly" what occurred. "One Marine was killed and the Marines just said we're going to take care. They don't know who the enemy is. The pressure was too much on them, so they went into houses and they actually killed civilians."
"Was this My Lai?" Matthews interjected, referring to the slaughter of more than 300 civilians by American soldiers in Vietnam in 1968. "Was this a case of--when you say cold blood, Congressman, a lot of people think you're basically saying you have got some civilians sitting in a room [or] out in a field and they're executed."
"That's exactly what happened," Murtha replied.
Murtha, of course, doesn't really know if the Haditha civilians were killed in cold blood. There's no way he could know. He's been briefed by Marine Commandant Michael Hagee, but so have other key members of Congress. Republican Duncan Hunter, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, talked to Hagee and did not conclude either that the case was all but closed or that 24 Iraqis had indeed been executed. Murtha, an ex-Marine, claims to have other Marine sources, but it's doubtful any of them were in Haditha on November 19, 2005, the day of the killings. So Murtha is winging it--and in a particularly shameful way.
But Murtha's accusation is only the worst example of prejudicing the case against the Marines. There are others:
* The press has repeatedly likened the Haditha killings to the My Lai massacre, an invidious comparison if there ever was one. Newsweek, for instance, wrote that Haditha "may turn out to be the worst massacre since My Lai." True, the magazine writes that "the scale" of Haditha "should not be exaggerated" and the 24 Iraqis killed are "a fraction of the 300-plus lined up and murdered at My Lai." But with the facts in Haditha so sketchy or in serious dispute, the mere association of Haditha with My Lai is, to say the least, tendentious.
* In breaking the Haditha story last March, Time relied heavily on statements from a 9-year-old girl, a self-styled human rights activist with credibility problems, and a doctor who has publicly expressed his hatred of America. Since then, Time has issued three corrections. A video of the 24 dead bodies and the places where the killings occurred was not taken by "a Haditha journalism student," as first reported, but by a 43-year-old Sunni Muslim who heads the two-person "Hammurabi Human Rights Group." Nor is that group associated with Human Rights Watch, the respectable if anti-American outfit, as the magazine had said. The magazine also allowed that it could not confirm that an alleged photo taken by a Marine, suggesting the killings were executions, even exists.
* The nastiest swipe at the Marines came in a cartoon in the Chicago Sun-Times by Jack Higgins. It showed dead men with their hands behind their backs. One had the word "Haditha" on his body. Underneath were the words, offered as an ironic counterpoint: "We will be greeted as liberators." The cartoon was based on a photo, not of the 24 slain civilians but of 19 Shiite fishermen executed by Iraqi insurgents in Haditha. The photo had appeared in the Times of London, which misidentified the dead as U.S. victims. To its credit, the Times promptly apologized, and so did the Sun-Times and Higgins. Another cartoon, this one in the Arizona Republic, showed the Marine emblem and said USMC stood for "United States Massacre Cover-Up." An investigation by an Army general later found there was no coverup in the case.
* Perhaps the worst part of the immediate coverage was the failure to provide anything more than minimal context for the Haditha incident. The New York Times gave a little in its lengthy June 17 article, noting that Haditha "had taken a heavy toll in Marines that spring and summer." Six from an Ohio reserve unit were killed, then 14 more by antitank mines, and four in a firefight. Haditha was a hotbed of Sunni insurgent activity and an enormously dangerous place for Marines. At least one resident said she knew about the planting of an improvised explosive device (IED) in the town's main road that killed a Marine in a convoy of Humvees. That explosion preceded the killing of the 24 civilians. A reporter for the British Guardian newspaper who spent three days in Haditha last year called it "an insurgent citadel." The town the Marines encountered was anything but a peaceful village.
In truth, we know very little with certainty about what really happened that November morning in Haditha. We know one Marine was killed. And we know his fellow Marines killed 24 civilians, an alarming number of victims. Whether the Hadithans were killed as Marines carried out their duties or whether they were murdered in retaliation for the death of the single Marine--that we don't know. And that's what a probe by the Naval Criminal Investigation Service, not yet finished, is supposed to determine.
For several months, the Marines took an unmitigated beating in the media. "But in recent days," Ed Pound noted in U.S. News & World Report last week, "another side of the story has begun to emerge, this one from defense attorneys who insist that their clients did not intentionally kill unarmed civilians. Instead they describe a harrowing house-to-house search for insurgents that ended in tragedy."
Through their lawyers, the Marines say they were following the official rules of engagement (ROE) or the warning of their officers "to be aggressive in taking care of themselves." It was in this manner, they claim, that they killed 5 Iraqi men as they fled and the other 19 in three houses. The Marines say they had been fired on from the area of the houses.
After the IED exploded, they spotted five men in a nearby car, men they assumed were insurgents. The Marines called to them, in Arabic, telling them to stay put. When the men tried to flee, they were shot dead. Inside the houses, the Marines claim they adhered to the ROE by first throwing a grenade in a room where they heard activity, then entering the room and spraying it with gunfire. This resulted, they say, in the accidental deaths of civilians. Given the town they were in, their story is at least plausible.
What's amazing is that so few questions have been raised about the witnesses against the Marines. Were they free to tell the truth about what happened, though the insurgents were likely to return? Or were they forced, on pain of death, to make up stories about a premeditated massacre? We don't know. And why did the "human rights activist" wait months before stepping forward with his tape? At this point, there are more questions than solid answers.
Congressman Hunter has wise advice on what we should do as the true story of Haditha unfolds. "We should slow down and let the military justice system work and let the chips fall where they may," he says. "The military system has integrity." Hundreds of Marines and Army soldiers have been punished, many severely, for abusing Iraqis. Eight Marines were charged last week with murdering an Iraqi man. Whatever occurred at Haditha, Hunter adds, "shouldn't reflect on the value of this mission." In World War II, he says, unarmed Germans were killed by American troops, but "we didn't stop the war." We shouldn't in Iraq either.
- Fred Barnes, for the Editors
Oh Barnes is Good!!! Real Good!!!!!
The day these Marines are released is the day Murtha should have to resign.
An in-case-you-missed-this ping. (Wonder if Fred got some of his points from Sweetness & Light?)
Thanks for posting this, it's an excellent piece.
Congratulations go to Fred Barnes, it's evident he's been doing his homework, he is a fine journalist. He was even correct when he referred to Murtha as an "ex-Marine."
Not having ever been a Marine myself I don't really know what guidelines Marines use to declare someone an ex-Marine, but Fred Barnes, for the Editors has declared Murtha, as an ex-Marine.
"Murtha, an ex-Marine, claims to have other Marine sources,"
In my mind, he stated the truth, Murtha, is an ex-Marine who doesn't deserve any respect for his previous service.
I believe that every Marine should send Cong Mullah-Omar Murtha their Social calling card and a White Feather inside a Half-Fold Social Note Card and envelope. That oughta give him a clear message.
If a platoon were moving down a street in a German town in WWII, and they received fire from some of the buildings, and in response killed everyone in these buildings with return fire, would this have been a problem back then? If not, then why is it a problem today?
I apologize to these Marines and their families for what that ba$tard & the MSM have put them thru, it is not right!
Where there is reasonable doubt...I will give that benefit to the marines, everytime! I stand behind them 100% thru this ordeal!
More truth in a single Fred Barnes' article than in all the MSM coverage combined! The truth is, "We don't know", and that's exactly what Barnes wrote.
Of the incidents that have been explained, such as the shooting of the men in the car after they ignored a direct order and attempted to flee the scene, is entirely justifiable according to the ROE.
Murtha is a disgrace and should be recalled by the voters in his state.
What does that mean?
bttt
Congratulations go to Fred Barnes, it's evident he's been doing his homework.....
Perhaps he reads FR and Sweetness and Light!
"And we know his fellow Marines killed 24 civilians, an alarming number of victims"
Barnes is getting there but where is the proof that the 24 killed were all civilians? And where is the proof that the Marines killed all 24 in question?
Barnes Bump
bttt
From the narrative it looks like it's down to 19 civilians and 5 suspicious guys who tried to flee after setting off the IED, taking some pot shots and finding themselves outnumbered.
I was considering sending him a white flag.
See my tagline...
I would like these Marines to run into Murtha in a bar somewhere.
Great article!
It probably goes without saying, but I'm disappointed in Chris Matthews, too. why didn't he challenge Murtha? Okay, I get that Matthews hates "neo-cons", Cheney, is against the war and thinks Bush is a puppet.
But Murtha's back-stabbing is aiming at marines, who have out there protecting him and us, just to get at Bush. Doesn't Matthews feel any duty to speak up for them against this slander?
Murtha's day to resign is already over due.
Why? This is what 'Spit-Boy' does every night... his show is either straight, DNC talking-points or fabricated bullsh*t. If asked... Chris Matthews would list Tip O'Neill as the most revered politician in American history and the DNC as the most hallowed of all institutions. The next time you step in poodle sh*t... you'll get a little whiff of what Matthews is all about.
Much more than politicians like murtha
Barnes is very bright. His problem is his mind formulates thoughts faster then his mouth can verbalize them.
I will definitely get the book...I probably saw the movie circa 1960 with my Dad when I was a little kid growing up in Texas. That would have been his taste in movies and as soon as we could walk, me & my brother went with him every Thursday nite, no matter the movie. ;-)
Disagree, Murtha clearly does not have the class to resign his office in disgrace.
His constituents however can show a bit of class by handing this senile old fart his walking papers and completely humiliating him in the process.
That would be nice!
Four feathers thing. Some idea made popular in a recent movie about British 19th century Troops, and cowardice in the face of the enemy.
The insult is far greater if properly done from those "From His Regiment." Cong Mullah-Omar Murtha needs to get enough feathers to have a complete King Size Bed Comforter, King Size pillows and a King Size Body pillow from the Corps.
"Murtha is an ex-Marine WHO DOESN'T DESERVE ANY RESPECT FOR HIS PREVIOUS SERVICE" (caps mine)
Bravo sir, bravo! Those words should be engraved in steel! Your phrase settles once and for all the notion that one's past renders one's current statements as forever immune to criticism or disagreement.
Murtha's past was then (which remains to be fully discovered) and what he says is now.
Murtha is a present-day lying seditious traitor!
Carlos Hathcock, the greatest sniper of all time and one of the most revered of the Faithful, purposely wore a white feather.
(BTW Marine Sniper has 182 reviews.)
Actually the Marines did NOTHING....it was the terrorist that set up our Marines to look like they killed the 24 innocent when in fact THEY DID IT!!!! It'll come out sooner than later...especially when the bodies are dug up, and you count on this happening whether the relatives want it or not...they'll be forced to by Iraqi Leaders. Then the case for once and for all will be settled and it'll have been proven the terrorist killed 'em all.
John "I'm blaming US troops before the evidence is in" Murtha is a disgrace.
What makes you think these Marines are going to be set free?
What I see happening is a Breaker Morant thing, where Politcal Plots will go before finding these poor guys innocent.
Already the USMC Higher ups are selling these guys out. Do you really think anyone wishing to have a career in the Military is going to go against the wishes of a Admin that wants to show the world we punish those who breaks the law, even if they didnt do it. The court martial will be a formality and they brave Marines will be ruined.
Politics kill the chance of ever finding out what really happened. I wish it wasnt so, but you can see it happening from here.
Pray for these guys.
We oughta start calling him "Me Lie Murtha". I can't figure why this man would sell his fellow Marines down the river like this, his hatred for Bush must have driven him insane.
You're kidding, right? Chris Matthews is as anti-military as the next liberal.
Liberals hate our military ALMOST as much as they hate George W. Bush. And they've hated our military for decades.
Fred should've included at least the possibility that the jihadi's were using the civilians, or their homes, as cover.
We know the terrorists use women as shields and children as scouts.
I remember hearing, back when he first opened his traitorous mouth, the he had some very dirty laundry that was about to come out and this was a plan to thwart the republicans from an investigation that was shaping up - make it look like they were just trying to punish a 'war hero' for 'speaking the truth.'
It may be that the dimRats are assuring him safe haven in exchange for carrying this dirty water?
If so, then he is doing all this to save his own sorry hide - and that makes it as bad as it gets.
I wonder if he's getting an idea yet of what the rest of his life is going to be like? Actions have consequences in like kind - multiplied.
Were I he, when I shaved in the morning, I wouldn't look behind me in the mirror - it might be frightening to see what's approaching
You're kidding, right? Chris Matthews is as anti-military as the next liberal. Liberals hate our military ALMOST as much as they hate George W. Bush. And they've hated our military for decades.
Well, I guess you guys are right. But you know, I used to be a Democrat and my father used to be a Democrat and my mother's still a Democrat, and none of us were ever like that. It boggles my mind how anyone could be when this is so obviously the greatest country ever and so much is owed to those who have kept it safe.
I remember when Chris Matthews used to criticize Clinton and call into Rush once in a while and he was very nearly sane. I'd like to think there's more than a simply rhetorical and strategic difference between the DU/Kos crowd and the Washington Post/New Republic/DLC Marshall Wittman Democrats, that there are Democrats respected in the Democratic Party as a whole who love America and take pride in the people who protect it. For a short time, President Bush was supported by what, close to 80% of the nation as he led it back from 9-11? That tells me there has to be some sense left in the average Democrat.
So yeah, Matthews sucks. I just wish he didn't, it seems like from 2000 on his IQ dropped 50 pts. and all of that gray matter was transferred to the jackass section of his brain.
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