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Pentagon leaks, however, are not the sole evidence that the doctrine of presumed innocence has been tossed overboard, NewsMax.com has learned . The Marine Corps has added to its training routine for Marines headed for duty in Iraq a required package of Rules of Engagement, Law of War, and counterinsurgency classes, on the topic "The My Lai Massacre and the Haditha Massacre: Common Lessons Learned," equating the incident in Haditha, where at most 24 civilians died, with the Vietnam War's Mai Lai massacre, where hundreds of civilians were deliberately murdered by U. S. Army troops.

According to one source, an instructor described as a Marine Corps lawyer speaking of the "crimes of Haditha" told his students that Mai Lai and Haditha resulted from "leadership failures, " leaving his Marine students with the clear impression that Haditha would live in infamy as a black mark on the history of the future Marine Corps, much as My Lai haunts the Army's history books today.

This is not the sole example of the presumption of guilt being applied to the Haditha Marines. NewsMax.com has learned that in the months since the Haditha allegations came to light, instructors in classrooms throughout the Marine Corps have been making references to the "Haditha massacre," their remarks usually laden with presupposition of guilt regarding the Marines involved. The speculation has consistently lacked the back-and-forth, two-sided debate of a typical unresolved issue, as Haditha is at this point.

Red, if this is true, it is the very definition of undue command influence. Under such a circumstance, I don't see how the UCMJ could allow the case to go forward.

Red, if this is true, it is the very definition of undue command influence.

Well said, Smooth.

This Phil Brennan is supposedly a veteran journalist and editor for NewMax. This is the most critical article I've yet seen on how the Corps, DOD and NCIS has handled this incident and I believe those of us that have followed this from the beginning can attest to it's veracity.