Marines "Wantonly" Killed Iraqi Women & Children

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Some more developments.

Troops cleared of Iraq wrongdoing

Unfortunately what happens when you piss away public trust, is even when you are telling the truth, people still think you're lying.

Catch 22.

Just to make it clear: This links to a BBC article that refers to alleged misconduct of U.S. troops in the Iraqi town of Ishaqi. The article I posted refers to completely different events that allegedly occured in Haditha.

Yep I read that too. Releasing a story that vindicates one particular incident pours cold water on the smoking gun - which is still there... and is still smoking...

The point is - even if they tell the truth, how can anyone know for sure? The government has done such a good job of pissing away any semblence of trust and credibility, that nothing they say will necessarily change public opinion. And I'm not talking about you and me - this just shows how the battle for 'hearts and minds' is being lost on a daily basis when Iraqi people think that coalition troops commit atrocities with no apparent consequence.

Perception is ultimately skewed by a lack of trust. This is what I've been saying - the US ought to take a step back here and permit an independent investigation into the allegations - where-ever that may lead...