Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Murtha Wrong Again? No Question About It
"There has to have been a coverup of this thing. No question about it."
"The problem is, who covered up? And why did they cover it up?"
"We don't know how far it goes ..The Marines knew about it all this time. Somebody in the chain of command decided not to allow this to happen. How far up it went, I don't know."
Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a decorated retired Marine, told ABC News there was "no question" that the U.S. military tried to cover up the killing of as many as two dozen Iraqi civilians last year in the town of Haditha.
"It goes right up the chain of command. Who said: 'We're not going to publicize this thing. We're not even going to investigate it'? Until March, there was no serious investigation. There was an investigation right afterward, but then it was stifled."
The list of things Rep. John Murtha has "no question" about appears to be an ever-expanding one. Dispensing with the need for official investigation, Murtha has already said publically there is "no question" the accused Marines committed murder in cold blood**, "no question" that there was an official coverup, "no question" that there was no return fire that day.
The results of the NCIS investigation into an alleged coverup, however, call into question Rep. Murtha's absolute certainty about the events which took place earlier this year:
The general charged with investigating whether Marines tried to cover up the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha has completed his report, finding that Marine officers failed to ask the right questions, an official close to the investigation said Friday.
Nothing in the report points to a "knowing cover-up" of the facts by the officers supervising the Marines involved in the November incident, the official said. Rather, he said, officers from the company level through the staff of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force in Baghdad failed to demand "a thorough explanation" of what happened in Haditha.
Fortunately, there's "no question about" the contention of both Time Magazine and Murtha it was Time's reporting of the incident at the end of March which finally prompted a recalcitrant military to investigate, is there?
The Bargewell investigation evolved from a preliminary inquiry conducted in January by Army Col. Gregory Watt, the New York Times reported yesterday. Watt was asked by senior commanders to look into why there had been no formal Marine Corps review of the Haditha incident. After reviewing death certificates that showed the 24 Iraqis had been killed by gunshot rather than a bomb, as the Marine report had stated, Watt recommended a broader inquiry.
So if the WaPo can be believed, the military began looking into this in January. Or is it March, as John Murtha states? Oddly, the WaPo's original article appears to have been expunged, leaving no mention of a January preliminary investigation. Fortunately, Time Magazine has been keeping track of the dates for us:
"The details of what happened in Haditha were first disclosed by TIME's Tim McGirk and Aparisim Ghosh, and their reporting prompted the military to launch an inquiry into the civilian deaths. "
The only problem is that it now appears the first recommendation for a second investigation was initiated February 10, the first NCIS investigation was launched February 14th, with a second one into the alleged coverup beginning March 9th, if various media accounts can be trusted. No doubt Time and the WaPo (to say nothing of Rep. Murtha) regret the error.
It can be difficult to sort out the facts, especially when different people are going around making conflicting statements. This is why we have investigations, and why it is usually wise to avoid making public comments until all the facts have been cross-checked. One wonders whether the media will be as understanding the next time the military has to correct the record.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch:
The American Civil Liberties Union on Friday released a heavily redacted version of a military report on detainee abuses by special operations forces in Iraq. The report concludes that a series of sensational allegations by detainees could not be substantiated.
The report, compiled by Army Brig. Gen. Richard P. Formica, was completed last year, but a declassified version was not prepared until this month. It says some of the minor accusations — such as that detainees were fed only bread and water for more than two weeks — had merit. But it found there was no evidence for most of the more controversial allegations.
Must be another cover up. No question about it.
If we didn't already know via Rep. Murtha that the accused Marines are guilty, it would almost be enough to make one look forward to the trial. But I suppose it's a moot point, really, since we already know the outcome.
**because they're under so much stress that they "snap" under pressure and start indiscriminantly shooting innocent civilians
3 Comments:
By 
Dan Kauffman, at
Wed Jun 21, 02:45:00 AM:
**because they're under so much stress that they "snap" under pressure and start indiscriminantly shooting innocent civilians"
That is NOT in Cold Blood.
"Murtha has already said publically there is "no question" the accused Marines committed murder in cold blood**, "
Cold Blooded actions are calm, premeditated and intentional.
Snapping under pressue and committing an atrocity is some thing quite different.
The two mental states are mutually exclusive.
Unless your only goal is to smear the Honor of the Corps that is, then a person might use both in the same statement,
I understand there is no such thing as an EX-Marine, but on the Milblgs they would like to make Murtha an exception.
By Dan Kauffman, at
Wed Jun 21, 02:47:00 AM:
I mean the man could not WAIT to have a press conference to tell the world what monsters our GIs are,
You want someone like THAT standing behind your back?
I read a phrase today that in a few words sums up the desperation of Murtha and clan.
We Can Still Lose If We Withdraw QuicklyThat just has to be the definitive example of the Democratic Party's Geo-political Strategy for the 21st Century
By Cassandra, at
Wed Jun 21, 05:35:00 AM:
Dan:
Sadly, Mr. Murtha is no stranger to incoherence. A long time ago (can't remember if it was at VC or here or somewhere else) I collected a whole smattering of his quotes, and when you put them together.... KABOOM! Brain explosion.
He said (on successive days, mind you) that we had to leave Iraq or civil war would break out...., but we had to leave Iraq immediately b/c NOW WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF civil war. O-kay....
The man is a walking contradiction. When you question him (and I've read a lot of his transcripts) he retreats into four or five stock phrases, which he repeats over and over again.
Which is fine, except some of them contradict the rest of what he's said. And yet people still listen to this man - mostly because they've never read enough of his "commentary" to realize what a whack job he really is.
