Haditha Massacre SOP, Officer Says

A Marine officer whose battalion committed the massacre in Haditha has said he thought it was a routine mission. Wow, no wonder the insurgency gained so much momentum so quickly. If it was standard operating procedure for American troops to enter towns and massacre Iraqis (and there were reports of such early on) no wonder they hate us. No wonder we haven't been able to occupy and secure the country. I can't think of a more effective way to get everyone working against you.

Then add the torture reports and pictures from Abu Ghraib to that and you have your recipe for disaster. A disaster of policy and leadership.

This is why we can never win in Iraq. You cannot commit such atrocities and ever hope to win over the people. They support and fuel the insurgency and ARE the popular insurgency. All staying the course will accomplish is more dead American soldiers. Bush says this is necessary to honor those who fell. So, we honor those killed already by having more killed? This is the logic of the President of the United States? No wonder we're in such trouble.