One of the Bully's asinine observations was that Murtha should not have brought an issue under investigation up on national television. Gen. Clark shot that ignorant suggestion down as Murtha doing precisely what he should.
The Bully then attempted, at length, to smear the incredibly courageous, selfless men of our fathers' generation by accusing them of purposely slaughtering innocent civilians during World War II; Clark all but told him he was crazy, that there were never any such allegations.
So, O'Reilly altered his "fair and balanced" rant to state documented proof exists wherein American troops shot unarmed SS men, and burned Japanese soldiers in caves with flamethrowers. Again, Gen. Clark admonished him for making an unreal comparison, that there is absolutely no way to judge what transpires in the heat of battle with the systematic execution of civilians, as what happened at My Lai.
It's not for me to judge what happened at Haditha. However, at this juncture forensic results are beginning to paint a picture that's not entirely positive for those members of the USMC who were present. I hate to think that's the case, but why did the Corps and NCIS wait this long to begin to conduct a thorough investigation?
I know it cuts John Murtha to the quick -- as an American, as a member of Congress, but mostly as a Marine - to have this dark cloud hovering over his beloved Corps. Yet, there's no one else I'd rather have on the hunt than this truly honorable man.
As to "Big Bully" Bill O'Reilly and his attack upon Rep. Murtha's vociferous questioning of the handling of this tragedy, I send a salute - with a single-finger.
This is the kind of mess that arises when young adults are forced into stress situations, fighting for a cause to which they have been given no proper explanation. They aren't over there to save America; they're not there to save Iraq. At this point the U.S. military is only in Iraq to try to keep each other alive.
I can fully understand the utter frustration with losing all decorum over seeing your friends killed and wounded on a daily basis by an "enemy" that essentially does not exist.
These brave young people are mired in a war not of their own making, begun with lies, for the sole purpose of making the illicit, Fascist "leaders" who stole control of our Nation nearly six years ago, and their pals, wealthier than they already were.
Many of our current military leaders are woefully inadequate for the task, because for decades the modern all-volunteer Army and Marine Corps have been breeding grounds for bureaucrats and politicians rather than warriors, especially throughout the officer grades. Take a look at Gen. Peter Pace, Gen. Mike Hayden, and the other senior officers who appear in news briefings or as shills for White House policies.
No officer was even with the patrol that day in Haditha - the highest-ranking man was a Staff Sergeant.
If in fact these Marines did flip out en masse, it's not too difficult to comprehend how a combination of a lack of mature leadership, a neverending war that's more like a series of daily murders, repeated rotations to the front, and one IED plus one dismembered friend too many could lead to the creation of hell in a small village.
We would all have to be blind, deaf, dumb and stupid to think this was a singular occurrence.
Therefore, I submit: Whom should the blame be put upon?
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