"In the meantime -- as my original post indicated, this clip is being played around the world -- further undermining our troops, our reputation, and our moral standing. None of that is good."
Agreed, but who's fault is that? This goes to the heart of why I'm ticked by this incident. The media released this video, and is villifying the Marine PRIOR to an investigation. That's the problem.
The tape should have been given to the military, an investigation should have taken place, and only once ALL the facts are know (including whether or not the Marine knew the man was wounded, or belived he was faking death to lure them into a trap) should it be released along with the results of the investigation. Right now, the video is being shown with little regard to how the Marine percieved the situation.
I haven't read the whole thread, but it seems to me that the MOST important issue, and not really discussed, is that this tape puts many of our troops in real danger. They'll either take unnecessary risks when dealing with futre wounded/POWS..becuase of fear of ending up in a shitstorm themselves, and more telling..this will be used by the terrrorists as propaganda..may well result in seome bad guys less likely to surrender..more likely to try and go out in a burst of glory..
I point the finger at the viewers who make the decisions without the facts, not the reporting. After all, we complain about wanting "the raw data"--not analysis, not delayed, and here we have it. It's up to US to decide.