Marine tells the NYT: "You'd have to know this thing stunk"

[Rose Siding]

A general talked to the NYT and he sounds pissed. Knowing how accomodating the NYT is about how they attribute remarks from anon sources, he would have agreed to allow them to use his rank in the piece. The Corps would do well to slap its own name on this kind of blunt disdain for the officers involved in the cover-up-

A senior Marine general familiar with the investigation, which is being led by Maj. Gen. Eldon A. Bargewell of the Army, said in an interview that it had not yet established how high up the chain of command culpability for the killings extended. But he said there were strong suspicions that some officers knew that the Marine squad's version of events had enough holes and discrepancies that it should have been looked into more deeply.

"It's impossible to believe they didn't know," the Marine general said, referring to midlevel and senior officers. "You'd have to know this thing stunk." He was granted anonymity, along with others who described the investigation, because he was not authorized to speak publicly about it.

[Evergreen Emerald]

1. The victims were paid retribution for the loss

That indicates cover-up at a high level. The question for anyone willing to investigate is who has authority to authorize monetary compensation?

"...he said there were strong suspicions that some officers knew that the Marine squad's version of events had enough holes and discrepancies that it should have been looked into more deeply."

My guess is that the marine squad could not authorize compensation. It is more than simply ignoring holes and discrepancies. It was about covering the holes and hiding the discrepancies at a level higher than the squad.

[Rose Siding]

2. "Several officers" were present at the clean up-

It would have been clear then that the initial reports were hinky.

snip>
He said he and his team remained at the camp until they were called back to the scene of the explosion about 5:30 p.m. the same day.

When they arrived, Briones said that most of the Marines on the site were sergeants or above, including several officers: "I remember because they didn't have enough lance corporals to deal with the bodies."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-marine29may29,0,2620650.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[sutz12]

3. Wellll..........

I'm not sure how high up it goes, either, but I would bet that his office is sort of oval shaped. :)

[opihimoimoi]

4. He said he is TROUBLED by allegations the boys messed up...

[Rose Siding]

5. He lied about when he knew of Haditha, for one thing-

When did Bush know?
Discrepancy seen as administration says he didn't learn of massacre probe for nearly a month

WASHINGTON -- The White House said yesterday it took nearly a month for President George W. Bush to learn the military was investigating whether Marines gunned down civilians in Haditha - an incident Iraq's leader called "a horrible crime" as he launched his own probe.

That explanation appeared at odds with a White House statement earlier this week that Bush was told of the inquiry "soon after" it was launched in February. Bush never discussed Haditha in public until he was asked about it by reporters Wednesday.

Yet what happened there last November now looms as a serious threat to Bush's hopes of reviving public support for the war at home, as well as being a growing impediment to smooth relations with the newly formed Iraqi government.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2318917