Haditha Investigator Backs Marines

Granted I don't read the Chicago Tribune for national and world news. I've been out of town a lot this summer, so haven't gotten into the habit of reading the Trib online, where I saw no sign of this story this morning on the lead page: "Haditha investigator backs Marines".

A friend emailed me directing me to the print edition, which I grabbed off my kitchen table to confirm. He had this to say:

I recognize that this is just another step in the process, but the initial reporting was also just a step in the process. Why was this relegated to the back pages (p8) to leave room for a story about a fish that died after chemotherapy...plus, this story really has the ring that the Marines thought they were under attack, possibly wrongly. Will we now criminalize being wrong?...uggg....

Here's the link.

The original Washington Post story "Marine Called Haditha Shootings Appropriate" is tucked in small print as a substory on the front page under "Bush Shows Pessimism in Iraq". The Post story goes a few paragraphs more, giving more details that support the Marines' story, which the Tribune story cut, I suppose they will say for "lack of space".

Will we now see apologies from those who so quickly branded our Marines as murderers?

We are waiting.

UPDATE: The Sun Times does not carry the Haditha story at all, tho they relegated the fish story to Metro Briefs.