82. Cannoneer No. 4

“Tharkun, all but one Haditha Marine beat that rap. … History will show whether General Mattis’ lawfare successfully countered MSM’s propaganda.”

With respect, your assessment is not simply wrong, it is woefully lacking as to the facts and extremely misleading.

General Mattis participated in UCI (Unlawful Command Influence) in the investigation phase, and even after the presiding judge Col. Folsom had ruled in the Chessani trial that said UCI was present from the beginning of this sordid mess, Mattis continued to acquiesce in the prosecution’s trashing of the UCMJ during the Wuterich hearings by reiterating his same dissembling, carefully-parsed version of events which Folsom had already ruled constituted the appearance of UCI.

You say Mattis was engaging in “lawfare”. If so, then it was self-serving lawfare which contributed to the degradation of the morale, faith and trust of our military personnel in the UCMJ, the ruination of the careers and financial impoverishment of innocent marines and their families, and an incalculable PR benefit to the enemies of this country, both foreign and domestic.

Mattis could have prevented it all, simply by doing the right and honorable thing at the beginning when the stench of UCI was already overwhelming. For whatever reason, political pressure or even threats, the promise of that promotion to Marine Commandant, or whatever else, at the critical moment in his life and career he failed the test.

As I said previously, Mattis would make a perfect choice for Obama…