BTW, there's a whole collection of Murtha media appearances HERE. Like the one below, they were all months before charges were filed, and while the investigation was still ongoing...
Posted on 06/17/2008 9:50:16 AM PDT by jazusamo
CAMP PENDLETON ---- A military judge has dismissed charges against a Marine officer accused of failing to investigate the killings of 24 Iraqis.
Col. Steven Folsom dismissed charges Tuesday against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani after defense attorneys raised concerns that a four-star general overseeing the prosecution was improperly influenced by an investigator probing the November 2005 shootings by a Marine squad in Haditha.
The charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning they can be refiled, but Folsom excluded Marine Forces Central Command from future involvement.
Chessani was the highest-ranking officer implicated in the case.
Just like the senior civilian and military officials who decided to prosecute these cases.
Oh, how the winds are changing! These prosecutions had a thousand fathers. Betcha now just as many are claiming they never had anything to do with it.
There seems to be a point of intersection at the Secretary of the Navy, Winters. I couldn't guess how many between him and former SecDef Rumsfeld. We do know that Rumsfeld set up a team of attorneys to watch over, track and coordinate the whole thing. The whole thing reeks of a breach of faith between the administration and those who have served honorably. It is disappointing that this happened under Bush, but it is what it is.
Well said. Winters is a CEO, not military. I’d expect a guy like that to be taking advice from below and orders from above. I’m not excusing him, but he’s just a facilitor. Appointing a guy like that in the first place signals a desire for control. The buck stops upstairs.
Good to see you delacoert. And I a second your statement.
Just heard a weak, weak Oliver North interview on FoxNews in which North speaks glowingly of the marine justice system in this trial. He said they did everything right, that the accused have had their rights preserved, that they all were permitted to defend themselves, yada, yada.
Then he said he had to fully disclose:
Gen Mattis, he said, used to be one of HIS lieutenants.
In North’s favor, he did say he expects Wuterich to be exhonerated.
On the other hand, he also said that the Marines “had” to do this the way they’ve done it.
Amen. I give Steve Gilbert at Sweetness and Light all the credit in the world for being the first in the blogosphere to poke holes in the Time magazine story. And his investigative writing acted as a fountainhead for countless other bloggers, including Clarice Feldman at American Thinker.
And of course our own Chickenhawk Warmonger at the Chickenhawk Express who relentlessly went after so many false reports that even she’s probably lost count. And our own pinkpanther111 at Conservative Thoughts.
Pink deserves a special shout-out because she helped spread positive stories, and news about the defense funds, in the milblog world. At the time (the end of 06 and beginning of 07), milbloggers were wary of Haditha because, frankly, children were involved. Pink got the community talking about the case, and that was a real breakthrough.
That’s really disappointing, but also shows why UCMJ/NCIS reform is so difficult. This kind of hooray-for-us stuff is the kind of PR mission that Corps brass excels at.
Maybe it’s just following the code of not airing dirty linen in public. I can only hope there are more serious conversations behind the scenes.
“He certainly had plenty to say when charges were made (that was “while a judicial activity in ongoing.”)
If I’m not mistaken Murtha had a ton to say before charges were even made.
His appearance on Hissy Matthews is a record of exactly that.
Guess we’ll have to make more phone calls today on that point. :)
BTW, there's a whole collection of Murtha media appearances HERE. Like the one below, they were all months before charges were filed, and while the investigation was still ongoing...
Thanks Smooth, great piece by Michelle. Very glad to see it was posted at Townhall.
I like North, but I agree with you. His comments on this case are really lame. I hope it's just out of ignorance because he simply hasn't delved too deeply into this case.
At enormous personal expense, assisted by donations from the public who thinks that this is a travesty.
Where does Col. Ollie think that these guys should apply to get their careers and reputations back?
There is a long-standing tradition of appointing service secretaries who actually did prior service in uniform in the service over which they are to be secretary. Why did Bush of all people break that tradition? His now departed to spend more time with his family looking for lost nuclear weapons Air Force secratary had no Air Force service either.
There is a long-standing tradition of appointing service secretaries who actually did prior service in uniform in the service over which they are to be secretary. Why did Bush of all people break that tradition? His now departed to spend more time with his family looking for lost nuclear weapons Air Force secratary had no Air Force service either.
Thanks for the post, xzins.
Though Oliver North is one of my favorites I’m disappointed that he didn’t come out strongly against this injustice that’s taken place.
No, not your “bad” at all! I just wanted to add to your list of people from the early days. But it could never be complete. Maybe suffice it to say that progess to date is a shared victory of the New Media, with the drive-bys still driving by.
BTW, I asked a MSM reporter recently why coverage of Iraq had stopped. He said it was because the story hadn’t changed.
— Bang head against wall, attempt to eat fist.
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