In a 2006 interview, then- prospective candidate Barack Obama praised our troops in Iraq but when asked whether “Did [Congressman John] Murtha say that in the right way?” his charge that Haditha Marines committed “cold-blooded murder," Obama deferred to Murtha:
“You know, I don't have the exact quotes in front of me. What I know is here is a guy who served our country. I would never second guess John Murtha... I think he's somebody who knows of which he speaks.”
One after another, the Haditha Marines have been found not guilty. I’ve written many, many blog posts on the details of each case. I’ve yet to read anywhere, including the leftist blogs, any substantive criticism of the proceedings’ consideration of the facts.
Two cases remain open: Platoon leader SSgt Frank Wuterich and Battalion Commander LtCol Jeffrey Chessani. As in the other cases, the politically-propelled zealous prosecution has been handed a series of setbacks to their legal position. The latest is the appeals court upholding of the dismissal of charges against Chessani because of undue command influence. The entire judgment is here. A portion gets down to tacks:
“[W]e are convinced the Government failed to meet its burden of demonstrating, beyond a reasonable doubt, that these proceedings were untainted by the appearance of UCI. [Undue Command Influence] We are similarly convinced that an objective, disinterested observer, fully informed of all the facts and circumstances, would harbor significant doubt about the fairness of this proceeding.”
The prosecution can appeal further, up to the US Supreme Court. Otherwise, the prosecution can choose to restart the case from scratch, under new leadership. The same cause of dismissal, for SSgt Wuterich, is expected.
These Marines have suffered from a runaway frenzy in prosecution. It’s time it ended.
The father of one of the boys in my son’s Little League team is a similarly distinguished LtCol of many years service in the Marine Corps, preparing to assume a vital and very challenging command. Is the message we want to give him and his family that they may face similar ruinous consequences of simply doing their duty?
Unlike Obama, I won’t defer to Murtha but to the known honor and courage of my fellow Marines.
The reporting of the court martial of Frank Wuterich’s actions in 2005 at Haditha fails to adequately explain the background of the specific charges and, also, the standards of evidence that must be met. Without that crucial information, the reader of d
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