On May 26, 2006, Page One of The Dallas Morning News revealed that the Senate, 'in rare bipartisan accord,' had passed a sweeping version of comprehensive immigration reform, setting up a battle with the House; and that Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling had been convicted of fraud and conspiracy in the collapse of Enron.
Oh, and this:
WASHINGTON - A military investigation into the deaths of two dozen Iraqis in November [2005] is expected to find that a small number of Marines in western Iraq carried out extensive, unprovoked killing of civilians, said congressional, military and Pentagon officials Thursday.Two lawyers involved in discussions about individual Marines' defenses said they thought the investigation could result in charges of murder, a capital offense.
That possibility and the emerging details of the killings have raised fears that the incident could be the gravest case involving misconduct by American ground forces in Iraq.
Officials briefed on preliminary results of the inquiry said the civilians killed at Haditha, a lawless, insurgent-plagued city deep in Sunni-dominated Anbar province, did not die from a makeshift bomb, as the military first reported, or in crossfire between Marines and attackers, as was later announced. A separate inquiry has been started to find whether the events were deliberately covered up.
That was our newspaper's first significant mention of what became known as the Haditha Massacre, an event that some said would make us forget My Lai.
No less an authority than former Marine John Murtha, now a jowly congressman from Pennsylvania, had already pronounced the accounts true:
Murtha, a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq, said at a news conference Wednesday that sources within the military have told him that an internal investigation will show that 'there was no firefight, there was no IED (improvised explosive device) that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.'
He went on to repeat the charge to anyone who would ask, which was just about everyone with a TV camera. Barack Obama, asked his view in June 2006, told Fox News' Alan Colmes: 'I would never second guess John Murtha ... I think he's somebody who knows of which he speaks.'
Haditha, after the predictable follow-ups, quick receded into the war news background, with all the other bad news to trumpet. And when the tide turned in Iraq, the war itself generally faded away as priority coverage.
So this is what you may have missed, if you looked really hard way inside our paper:
Aug. 10, 2007: All charges have been dismissed against two Marines accused in the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, the Marine Corps announced Thursday. Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, 22, of Canonsburg, Pa., was charged with murdering three brothers. Capt. Randy Stone, 35, a battalion lawyer from Dunkirk, Md., was charged with failing to adequately report and investigate the Nov. 19, 2005, combat action in which women and children were among the dead.Sept. 19, 2007: The Marine Corps said Tuesday that charges have been dropped against Capt. Lucas McConnell, who was accused of failing to investigate the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha. Charges have now been dismissed against four of eight Marines in the case.
Oct. 5, 2007: A military investigator has recommended dropping murder charges against Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, a Marine infantryman charged with killing 17 apparently unarmed Iraqis in Haditha, Iraq, nearly two years ago, a defense lawyer in the case said Thursday.
Jan. 1, 2008: Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, 27, of Meriden, Conn., was ordered Monday to stand trial on charges stemming from the 2005 killings of 24 Iraqis in the town of Haditha. The most serious charge against him is voluntary manslaughter. No one is charged with murder in the case.
Jan. 4, 2008: After a two-year investigation into the killings of up to 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq, the Marine Corps has decided that no Marine involved in the incident will be charged with murder. Instead, two enlisted Marines and two officers face lesser charges.
March 29, 2008: The Marine Corps dropped charges and gave full immunity Friday to a serviceman who was accused of involuntary manslaughter in a squad's killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha in 2005. The case against Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, 26, of Edmond, Okla., was dismissed as jury selection was about to begin for his court-martial. The government has been seeking Cpl. Tatum's testimony against the squad leader, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich of Meriden, Conn.
June 5, 2008: A military jury acquitted a Marine intelligence officer Wednesday of charges that he tried to help cover up the killings of 24 Iraqis. Cheers erupted as the seven-officer panel cleared 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson, who was the first of three Marines to be tried in the biggest U.S. criminal case involving Iraqi deaths linked to the war. The verdict came five hours after deliberations began. ... Four enlisted Marines initially were charged with murder and four officers were charged with failing to investigate the deaths. Charges against five of the Marines were dropped.
It's possible Murtha and Obama are just waiting until everyone is acquitted to apologize.
Any lingering questions about bias? Or, do you believe a conviction, even for less than murder, would play in the war briefs or on Page Whoknowswhere Inside?
Just asking.
