The American Spectator

A group of Marines, if an ongoing investigation finds that their killings of Iraqi civilians in Haditha were actually akin to murder, face the most severe of punishments. As Dave notes below, certain segments of the media are all too eager to reach negative conclusions in the matter. What does the President have to say about it? Granted, he can’t opine on the innocence or guilt of the Marines, but how about a statement of support for who they are and the conditions they are laboring under in Iraq, which included losing one of their own to one of the ubiquitous roadside bombs in the area they were patrolling? How about publicly stating some equivalent of Rudy Giuliani’s position regarding the NYPD – that they should be given the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise? How about a ringing defense of the Marine Corps, a reminder of what Americans owe them, and a stern rebuke to the media for its transparent eagerness to create another scandal in Iraq, one that will directly impact the safety of the men fighting over there?