What is the "brass" thinking?

Clarice Feldman continues to do the Lord's work over on The American Thinker in her coverage of the supposed atrocities allegedly committed by our military forces in Iraq.

This time out she questions why the senior military leadership seems to be playing into the enemies hands by treating the men accused as though they had already been convicted.

There is almost an epidemic of incidents in which American military forces are accused of atrocities in Iraq, and virtually tried and convicted in the media before the evidence is heard, based on shaadowy and inconsistent sources. Even worse, some politicians jump on the bandwagon, and contribute to the media firestorm. But when military brass seem to play a role in fanning the flames investigation is warranted.

[Snip]

Yesterday, we learned that Neal A. Puckett, a defense attorney for Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich (one of the Kilo Company Marines), says that if his client is charged, he intends to call Rep. Murtha to testify under oath and find out who, if anyone, in the military relayed to him the information about Haditha that he has made public:

Attorney Neal A. Puckett told The Washington Times that Gen. Michael Hagee, the Marine commandant, briefed Rep. John P. Murtha, Pennsylvania Democrat, on the Nov. 19 killings of 24 Iraqis in the town north of Baghdad. Mr. Murtha later told reporters that the Marines were guilty of killing the civilians in “cold blood.” Mr. Murtha said he based his statement on Marine commanders, whom he did not identify.

Mr. Puckett said such public comments from a congressman via senior Marines amount to “unlawful command influence.” He said potential Marine jurors could be biased by the knowledge that their commandant, the Corps’ top officer, thinks the Haditha Marines are guilty.

“Congressman Murtha will be one of the first witnesses I call to the witness stand,” Mr. Puckett said yesterday.”

It appears that General Hagee was the officer who briefed Murtha:

“Col. Dave Lapan, a spokesman at Marine Corps headquarters at the Pentagon, said Mr. Murtha was one of eight senior House members and senators briefed by Gen. Hagee in May on the investigation. “I don’t know what he told them,” Col.
Lapan said.”

It would be interesting indeed to learn what Gen. Hagee told Murtha. It would be interesting, too, to see if some of the information Murtha received was second hand from outside the military, as Time and others received it from representatives of Human Rights Watch, one of whom told me he had provided information to reporters which was based on material “military” sources had provided that organization.

This is a long article and it is very much worth your time to read the whole thing. She closes with this observation and question:

I have to believe that the press is so willing to publicize inconsistent, incredible, uncorroborated reports of Marine atrocities because they:

(a) want a scoop;

(b) project their own failings onto a group which is far superior
to them in terms of character and discipline;

(c) have no military experience which would help them understand
better battlefield behavior and rules of engagement; and

(d) oppose the war and serve as propagandists for those who are
like-minded.

But for the life of me, I cannot understand why the brass is standing by and allowing this to happen. And I do not understand why no one has yet intervened to release from solitary confinement and shackles the 8 Hamdaniya servicemen who as yet still have not even been charged with anything.

This is an excellent question. Retired Marine Fits tells us that outgoing Marine Corps Commandant Hagee is determined to "clear the decks on the Haditha situation" which has led him to, "turn a deaf ear to requests from very many Marines to, as some of us put it, aid and abet the enemy by taking everything they say as gospel over the word of honorable Marines."

To someone standing on the outside looking in this has all the appearance of being an accurate analysis. On his radio show Friday afternoon Sean Hannity said that his sources were telling him that the Marine Corps wished to get out in front of this kind of accusation by landing on the accused with both feet. They hoped to avoid bad press by demonstrating how seriously they took such things. Sean's sources also told him that this was beginning to change.

Apparently the bad press being generated in the conservative media, talk radio, FOX News and the internet, has stung the Pentagon and they are looking for a way to back off and allow the legal process to work itself out.

This will be all to the good for the troops involved because none of these accusations seem to hold water when given a close look.