Over at Real Clear Politics, Jed Babbin tells you everything you need to know about the subtext of the insanely hysterical coverage of Haditha. Most importantly, balanced and responsible voices must explain that the silence from the Marines, Donald Rumsfeld and other members of the Administration isn't an admission of guilt, it's a requirement in keeping with the demands of military justice.
Liberals don't seem to get it -- or they don't want to. Far easier to exploit the story for whatever political or partisan advantage can be wrung from it, even at the cost of success in Iraq and in the larger war on terror.
Although there's no chance they'll heed them, here are some guidelines that the left would be well advised to follow:
(1) Stop attacking or condemning our soldiers until you have the facts.
(2) Make some effort to put the accusations into perspective. If 24 civilians were unjustifiably killed, it's a terrible, terrible crime and those responsible deserve to be fully prosecuted. But it's also worth noting that our soldiers liberated 25 million Iraqis from Saddam Hussein's murderous regime. That means that American soldiers freed more than a million people for every one that was wrongly killed (if that, indeed, is what happened).
Or, to put it another way, according to this site, 2119 Americans have died as a result of hostile fire. So for each of the 24 Iraqis who may have been wrongly killed, more than 88 Americans have died in the cause of helping Iraq become a free and secure country -- and even more if you count the deaths that weren't attributable to hostile fire, but were nonetheless given in the Iraqi cause.
(3) Treat America's soldiers as respectfully as you do its enemies. Many leftists are appalled at the lack of constitutional safeguards being bestowed upon the enemy combatants sequestered at Guantanamo Bay. Don't our own Marines deserve the same kind of regard for their rights (including a presumption of innocence until guilt is proved) that the left seems to believe is the entitlement of America's enemies?
Just a rule of thumb: Give America's fighting men and women at least the same modicum of respect that you accord to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Be as reluctant to use harsh words, offer sweeping condemnations, or prejudge their motives, intent and actions as you are Kim Jung Il's. Be as willing to offer them the benefit of the doubt as you've been to offer it to Saddam Hussein on the matter of WMD's.
Cross posted at CarolLiebau.blogspot.com.