Rushing to Judgment on Haditha?

Ilario Pantano knows all about rushing to judgment. He was the focus of a rush to judgment by media and others who just knew that he had to be guilty of killing two Iraqis - of committing murder.

The Marine Corps brought charges against Pantano, and prosecutors made quite the case for the first five days. And yet the entire case fell apart against Pantano when the autopsy found that he could not have committed the crimes alleged.

The Corps dropped the charges.

So, in the rush to judgment on those Marines who are being accused of criminal acts in Haditha, we should remember that the military justice system works - and rushing to judgment on whether certain Marines acted in a criminal manner makes matters worse. As Pantano notes:

Mr. Murtha's position is particularly suspect when he is quoted by news services as saying that the strain of deployment "has caused them [the Marines] to crack in situations like this." Not only is he certain of the Marines' guilt but he claims to know the cause, which he conveniently attributes to a policy he opposes.

Members of the U.S. military serving in Iraq need more than Mr. Murtha's pseudo-sympathy. They need leaders to stand with them even in the hardest of times. Let the courts decide if these Marines are guilty. They haven't even been charged with a crime yet, so it is premature to presume their guilt -- unless that presumption is tied to a political motive.

Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) has been quite vocal as an opponent of the war in Iraq, and has latched on to every misstep and alleged misdeed to slam the Administration and the war effort.

Murtha may claim that he has more knowledge and been briefed by military officials about the incident in Haditha - and the facts may end up bearing out Murtha.

Or not.

None of this excuses criminal activities, and as I've noted before, those who committed criminal acts in Haditha must be brought to justice and face criminal trials. If guilty, they should receive the harshest sentences for their acts. Indeed, some of those Marines involved could face the death penalty.

We're still quite a ways away from that, and while Murtha may indeed be correct that Haditha may hurt the war effort, the same can be said of his repeated pronouncements undermining the war effort based on selected readings of information about the Iraq campaign. And from rushing to judgment despite the fact that the Marines are still innocent until proven guilty. And Murtha is even going so far as to accuse the military of a coverup in Haditha.

The sad fact is that Murtha needs to let the military justice system work - and his statements are guaranteed to find a wide audience skewing perceptions of the public on the matter.

Blue Crab Boulevard and Mac Ranger have additional thoughts.

Dan Riehl notes that Murtha's got some peculiar ethics.

On this Memorial Day, we need to remember those who came before us who served with honor and distinction. We need to remember that they gave their lives and fought for defending this nation against Nazis, Communists, and are now fighting to spread freedom to those who are repressed by militant Islam. It is those soldiers, sailors, and Marines who need to know that they not only have our deserved respect, but our support.

UPDATE:
Added the link to the Pantano statement above.

Technorati: haditha, iraq, war+crimes, murder, jag, marines, investigation.