I'm going out on a limb here, and stating that LGen Waldhauser once more instigated Unlawful Command Influence in that he caused the shutdown of the testimonies of the prosecutions witnesses because it was readily apparent they were not providing any testimony of even "Negligent Dereliction of Duty".
As Nat Helm described the details in his summations, once Sgt. Maj. Edward Sax gave his testimony it appeared the Panel had made up their minds. Had they come back after deliberation (if any) with a full exoneration there would have been a very black stain covering the Globe&Eagle, and a firm notice to all Military that the Pentagon Brass can not be relied upon to support the Troops on the battlefield. Another point these cases brought to the fore, is just how dependent the Defense is on the Military Prosecutor for access to Witnesses and Exculpatory Testimony. What other explanation comes to mind for the disallowance of LCol. Chessani to appear for the Defense?
So Puckett gets another coupe to hang on his wall (Charged with NINE Murders - whittled down to Negigent Dereliction) and the Marine Brass gets a conviction to prove it was 'right'.
Neither one are true, and we all got gypped!
There must be some reason the trial suddenly came to a halt so the defense could snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and your theory is as good as any. Of course, that would mean the defense lawyers were complicit. But it would also mean that somebody, somewhere, is wiping his forehead and saying, “Whew...” because the government got a single conviction for... “negligent dereliction of duty”..? Really?
How small are these people?
As far as “a very black stain covering the Globe&Eagle”, it’s way too late to avoid that. That started the day the political whores, the cowardly perfumed princes of the panty-waist Pentagon ran like scared bunny rabbits from a brazen propaganda piece published in TIME Magazine. They never even bothered to check it out, but apparently they were afraid that the folks in barber shops and orthodontist waiting rooms across the nation would accidentally read the story and become outraged.
Instead, the only people who are outraged are members of every military family, past and present, in the nation along with all those good, decent people who support them. Congratulations, perfumed princes, you sick bastards. Semper Fidelis my ass.
Pray for America.