Charges Dropped For Haditha's Highest Ranking Defendant

John Murtha were are you?:

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) - A military judge dismissed charges Tuesday against a Marine officer accused of failing to investigate the killings of 24 Iraqis.

Col. Steven Folsom dismissed charges against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani after finding that a four-star general overseeing the case was improperly influenced by an investigator probing the November 2005 shootings by a Marine squad in Haditha.

"Unlawful command influence is the mortal enemy of military justice," Folsom said. "In order to restore the public confidence, we need to take it back. We need to turn the clock back."

Chessani, of Rangely, Colo., was the highest-ranking officer to face a combat-related court-martial since the Vietnam War.

One more to go. I am just sitting here wondering how Murtha feels about this whole deal. He was successful in making himself look like an ass, that is for sure. Of course, I wouldn't sit around waiting on big John to apologize.