[BeHoldAPaleHorse]

It won't matter to a lot of Iraqis who are on the fence that if true this is an isolated incident and that if true these troops don't represent our values. A few bad apples really can spoil things.

True enough; but it's also worth pointing out that those same fence-sitting Iraqis can see how this is being handled vs. how Hussein's regime would have handled it, and see the difference.

[highball]

True enough; but it's also worth pointing out that those same fence-sitting Iraqis can see how this is being handled vs. how Hussein's regime would have handled it, and see the difference.

Agreed, but that would mean punishing the Marines if the allegations are proven in a court-martial. There are many here who would seem to not want that under any circumstances.

For my part, while I am inclined to give the Marines the benefit of the doubt, the fact that their stories changed makes me skeptical.