Another Haditha Marine Set To Be Cleared? UPDATE: Cleared

Someone get Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) on the line because his claims that the Haditha Marines engaged in cold blooded murder appears to be nothing more than a libel and bluster meant to intimidate and cow the Marines into taking disciplinary actions for a regrettable incident where civilians lost their lives in the middle of a warzone.

Six Marines have already been cleared. Two remain in the legal spotlight, SSgt. Frank Wuterich and Lt. Col. Jeffery Chessani and Chessani's case is being moved up today for a one hour hearing later today:

Officials with the law center today said Col. Steven Folson, the military judge assigned to the case, “informed counsel that the hearing in the Chessani case, originally scheduled for three days, June 16-18, has been changed to only one hour on Tuesday, June 17, 2008, at 9 a.m. PST.

“Col. Folsom indicated that the only business he will address is his ruling on the defense motion to dismiss Lt. Col. Jeffery Chessani’s case because of unlawful command influence,” the law center said.

Chessani was charged with dereliction of duty in failing to report the incident, which is absurd considering that he not only reported the incident up the chain of command, but provided a powerpoint presentation for the report highlighting the issues involved.

It is quite likely that Chessani's case will be dismissed with prejudice today, which sets the stage for Wuterich's case to be dismissed thereafter. So, after all of the bluster and anti-war and anti-Marine rhetoric, not a single charge stuck. Color me surprised at this - the investigation turned up no wrongdoing. The deaths of the civilians is certainly regrettable, but doesn't rise to the level of criminal homicide given the circumstances of the incident as it unfolded.

I'm awaiting Murtha's heaping serving of crow, but I sincerely doubt that he'll ever be held accountable for his statements. (HT: Let Freedom Ring)

UPDATE:
The charges have been dropped without prejudice, but the Marine Forces Central Command is barred from future involvement. For intents and purposes, Chessani was cleared of wrongdoing.

UPDATE:
When will we get Sen. Barack Obama's apology for trusting in Murtha's mad rush to judgment to convict and sentence the Marines involved before an investigation was even complete?