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| Home Front: WoT |
| The massacre that wasn't, and its political exploitation. |
| 2007-10-19 |
| Wall Street Journal Innocents were killed at Haditha, as they inevitably are in all wars--though that does not excuse or justify wrongdoing. Yet neither was Haditha the atrocity or "massacre" that many assumed--though errors in judgment may well have been committed. And while some violent crimes have been visited on civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, overall the highly disciplined U.S. military has conducted itself in an exemplary fashion. When there have been aberrations, the services have typically held themselves accountable. The same cannot be said of the political and media classes. Many, including Members of Congress, were looking for another moral bonfire to discredit the cause in Iraq, and they found a pretext in Haditha. The critics rushed to judgment; facts and evidence were discarded to fit the antiwar template. Most despicably, they created and stoked a political atmosphere that exposes American soldiers in the line of duty, risking and often losing their lives, to criminal liability for the chaos of war. This is the deepest shame of Haditha, and the one for which apologies ought to be made. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #3 The critics rushed to judgment; facts and evidence were discarded to fit the antiwar template You don't say. |
| Posted by: W. L. Calley 2007-10-19 18:08 |
| #2 Fog of war--move on. Get over it. Decorate the Marines for a job well-done. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2007-10-19 09:08 |
| #1 The WSJ expects an apology? Those guys used to be smart. |
| Posted by: Richard Aubrey 2007-10-19 07:57 |