The Week

Just when John Kerry had the French vote wrapped up-Al Gore had to go and do Cannes.

Haditha is an insurgent stronghold 150 miles west of Baghdad. We will be hearing far more about it in the coming weeks, as we learn how 24 Iraqi civilians, including women and children, were killed there during a Marine patrol on the morning of November 19. “This is going to be an ugly story,” warns Rep. John Kline (R., Minn.), a former Marine who has been briefed by military officials on the preliminary findings of the Pentagon’s criminal investigations of the incident. There are allegations of a cover-up by the Marines directly involved, and two of their commanders have been relieved of duty. Another former Marine, Sen. John Warner (R., Va.), who plans to hold hearings on the incident, urges no rush to judgment before investigations are completed. But the media’s favorite former Marine has been in a rush to smear the military’s senior leadership. According to the New York Times, Rep. Jack Murtha (D., Pa.) “said efforts to repress the story might go ‘right up the chain of command, right up to General Pace,’ referring to Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.” It is bad enough that the Marine Corps’s well-earned reputation for disciplined professionalism and selfless bravery will be tarnished if a few active-duty Marines committed terrible acts as alleged. It is worse when their own veterans recklessly provide ammunition for their enemies.

Featured Tags

Department of Justice

Constitution

FBI

Just when John Kerry had the French vote wrapped up-Al Gore had to go and do Cannes.

Haditha is an insurgent stronghold 150 miles west of Baghdad. We will be hearing far more about it in the coming weeks, as we learn how 24 Iraqi civilians, including women and children, were killed there during a Marine patrol on the morning of November 19. “This is going to be an ugly story,” warns Rep. John Kline (R., Minn.), a former Marine who has been briefed by military officials on the preliminary findings of the Pentagon’s criminal investigations of the incident. There are allegations of a cover-up by the Marines directly involved, and two of their commanders have been relieved of duty. Another former Marine, Sen. John Warner (R., Va.), who plans to hold hearings on the incident, urges no rush to judgment before investigations are completed. But the media’s favorite former Marine has been in a rush to smear the military’s senior leadership. According to the New York Times, Rep. Jack Murtha (D., Pa.) “said efforts to repress the story might go ‘right up the chain of command, right up to General Pace,’ referring to Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.” It is bad enough that the Marine Corps’s well-earned reputation for disciplined professionalism and selfless bravery will be tarnished if a few active-duty Marines committed terrible acts as alleged. It is worse when their own veterans recklessly provide ammunition for their enemies.