Whose Side Are Democrats On Again?

David Harsanyi:

Now that foreign terrorist suspects have the right to habeas corpus, maybe U.S. Marines will be extended the courtesy of a trial before being smeared as cold-blooded murders.
The Haditha story — reminiscent of some twisted Oliver Stone fantasy — was first reported by Time magazine. According to reports, Marines were allegedly involved in a firefight on Nov. 19, 2005, murdering 24 civilians in retribution for a roadside bombing that killed a fellow Marine.
For power-hungry Pennsylvania congressman John Murtha, the tide of negative public opinion on Iraq made Haditha the perfect self-serving political opportunity. After all, other than being the focus of corruption investigations, Murtha had never been bequeathed such extravagant attention. And when Murtha, a former Marine, spoke about Haditha, he spoke with certitude — and the national headlines mirrored it.
Seven months before any charges were filed, the by-then ubiquitous congressman claimed that the massacre happened when troops not only “overreacted because of the pressure on them” but also that “they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.”
In some circles, Murtha’s reputation remained unblemished after this unsubstantiated slur. Only a couple of months after his remarks, presidential candidate Barack Obama said of Murtha: “I would never second guess John Murtha . . . I think he’s somebody who knows of which he speaks.”

Some enterprising reporter should ask Obama if he still thinks the Haditha Marines killed civilians “in cold blood.”