Well, aren't you just a bundle of joy.
This Marine will be represented by men in the military and judged by other men in the military. They understand war as many civilians do not. If the marine who shot feared for his or his buddy's life, he will be set free without being charged.
It is idiotic to feel that President Bush doesn't have sympathy for this Marine but the investigation needs to go on. You don't know how President Bush feels so dry up!
"Well, aren't you just a bundle of joy."
The Abu Ghraib prison 'scandal' is what I cite as precedent. The so-called torture exemplifies non-violent psychological pre-interrogation conditioning that has been used with ample success by the Saudi and Kuwaiti militaries. The soldiers who 'tortured' the naked Iraqis were following orders as they initially said they were and the media blew it up.
Now the chain of command has sold them out for political expediency.
If Bush does not pressure the military to hang this Marine out to dry I'll be impressed.
I'd really, really be impressed if Bush were to give the whole thing a "So what?" and get on with the war.
But I'm so used to Republicans worrying themselves into a dither over what liberals think of them that I would put money on this kid getting court martialed.
Someday the GOP will start to act like they actually run the country. Let me know when that happens, okay?
How long till the trial lawyers try to organize a class action of Iraqi "insurgents" to sue in a U.S. court for damages for mistreatment at the hands of the U.S. Marines?