Posted by Mark Silva at 11:37 am CDT
President Bush, making his first public comments today about an attack by Marines in the western Iraqi city of Haditha last November that left 24 Iraqi civilians dead, vowed "there will be punishment'' if the military's investigation supports Iraqi claims of unprovoked murders by Marines.
“I am troubled by the initial news stories,'' said Bush, who reportedly learned of the incident only after Time magazine called the White House with inquiries about the alleged Haditha massacre. The attack was first reported by Time in January.
President Bush, making his first comments today about an attack by Marines in the western Iraqi city of Haditha last November that left 24 Iraqi civilians dead, vowed "there will be punishment'' if the military's investigation supports Iraqi claims of unprovoked murders by Marines.
“I am troubled by the initial news stories,'' said Bush, who reportedly learned of the incident only after Time magazine called the White House with inquiries about the alleged Haditha massacre. The attack was first reported by Time in January.
"If in fact laws were broken, there will be punishment,'' Bush said in response to a reporter's question at the White House today. "I know this. I have talked to Gen. Pete Pace (chairman of the joint chiefs of staff)… a proud Marine. Nobody is more concerned about these allegations than the Marine Corps.''
Separate investigations underway are attempting to determine if the Nov. 19 killings in Haditha were criminal and if commanding officers tried to hide the truth of what happened after a roadside bomb hit a military convoy, killing one Marine.
The White House was asked this week what it is attempting to do by way of "damage control.''
"You don't do damage control,'' said White House spokesman Tony Snow. "What you try to do is find out what the facts are. And that's what's going on right now at the Department of Defense. And rather than trying to leap to any conclusion from the podium, let's all wait. We're all going to see this, and we'll all be able to draw conclusions, and we'll all be able to learn from it.''
When was the president first briefed about the events in Haditha?
"When a Time reporter first made the call,'' Snow said. "Time began asking questions about it.''
The president then was briefed by National Security Adviser Steve Hadley, Snow said, and the president "began asking questions then.''
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Comments
Hope it doesn't ruin his day.
Posted by: mh | May 31, 2006 12:05 PM
My guess is that W is more troubled by the disclosure of the incident than by the incident itself. The same way that he regrets "Ahboo guh-reb" because we had to "pay" for that for a long time, not because his government tortured people.
Bush has shown nothing but disdain for any (born) human life. As to Iraqi (born) human lives, the evidence is abundantly clear he has always viewed them as expendable -- his bloodthirsty rush to war being Exhibit A. Bush won't lose a second of sleep over another couple dozen "potential terrists" getting wiped out of the picture.
Lose 24 embryonic stem cell lines, though, and he doesn't get any shut eye 'till nearly 10:30.
Posted by: a blinkin | May 31, 2006 1:52 PM
It's not a question of the Marines committing a war crime because as we have learned in the past,
modern war itself is a crime.
The Civil War, called the first modern war, gave us a glimpse into the future. WWI and II verified the result with the carpet bombing of cities and civilian populations, all topped off with a great firepower demo. on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Vietnam brought new horrors; Free fire zones, where anything that moved was a 'legal' target. Send a bunch of stressed out kids into a FFZ and you are going to get My Lai 4. If they were dead, they were VC. Add 'em to body count boys!
Know what country received the most conventional bombing tonnage in the 20th Century? You might guess Japan, Germany, Russia, even North or South Vietnam, but you would be wrong.
The tiny country of Laos received more tonnage during our secret war there, than the combined efforts of the US Army Air Corps and the RAF over Germany during WWII.
My point here? Modern war is a crime. Mr. Bush needs to face the fact he began a war of choice that is resulting in thousands of innocents losing their lives, and brutalizing and dehumanizing our own fighting force.
Yeah, it's a crime, and somebody should pay.
Posted by: C.Morris | May 31, 2006 2:46 PM
There is damage control that needs to be done, Tony. It's to The Decider's MBA, CEO, I'm-in-charge, Commander-in-Chief reputation. His war, his secretary of defense, his joint chiefs ... and he doesn't know anything about this until a Time Magazine reporter starts asking questions???
This is the most insulated, deluded Presidency ever.
Incurious George.
Posted by: Figbash | May 31, 2006 4:59 PM
What My Lai?
Posted by: Alfred E. Neuman | May 31, 2006 5:50 PM
AEN,
My Lai was a district in Vietnam consisting of several isolated villes. Each was assigned a numeric designation by the US Army, and the one of fame was no. 4.
Posted by: C.Morris | May 31, 2006 8:36 PM
Hey, Keep in mind the Clinton adminstrations attack on Waco.
Posted by: cliff zeider | June 1, 2006 8:43 AM
Hey, Keep in mind the Clinton adminstrations attack on Waco.
Posted by: cliff zeider | Jun 1, 2006 8:43:01 AM
Hey, Great Point! Two wrongs always make a right, especially when the first wrong is a reckless multiple homicide and the second is a deliberate, cold-blooded mass execution that's sure to be the focus of Al Queda's newest recruitment campaign. I'm so proud of our good works!
Posted by: a blinkin | June 1, 2006 11:12 AM
CZ,
Good point re. Waco.
Also, Nixon on Kent State,
Chicago Police on Black Panthers.
Posted by: C.Morris | June 1, 2006 11:20 AM