Pushback: Marine Capt. James Kimber says he’s being scapegoated
posted at 7:21 pm on June 1, 2006 by Allahpundit
He was relieved of command after the Haditha incident. The only problem? He says he wasn’t even in the city when it happened.
And that’s not all:
Kimber said he heard nothing about a civilian massacre during city council meetings and talks with local leaders.
“It would have been huge, there would have been no question it would have filtered down to us,” he said. “We reported no significant atmospheric change as a result of that day.”
Here’s an AP report from yesterday noting that Kimber and the other two officers whose names have been mentioned in the press aren’t part of the probe. According to his lawyer, he was relieved of command for reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with the incident:
Kimber, 33, who was nominated for a Bronze Star for valor in Haditha, was relieved of command last month because his subordinates in the battalion’s India Company used profanity and criticized the performance of Iraqi security services during an interview with Britain’s Sky News TV, according to Hackett.
But then how did he get mixed up in the Haditha story? I ran his name through Time magazine’s search engine and came back with this piece from April. It quotes an Associated Press story; I googled around for it and found it here. Read it. The reporter makes it sound like the Marine spokesman connected Kimber and the other officers to the Haditha investigation — but she never actually quotes him to that effect. In fact, here’s what he said: “There was no one justification for the move. In fact many considerations factored into the decision to relieve the commanders… It stems from their performance during the entire deployment.”
So why did she report that Kimber was sacked due in part to the alleged massacre? Did the spokesman tell her that, or did she just extrapolate it from his remark about there being many considerations? And if the latter, why didn’t the spokesman call her up immediately and correct the record?
Kimber himself seems to think it’s the Marine leadership that hung him out to dry by relieving him of command when the media came sniffing around about Haditha. Stay tuned.
Update: Unrelated to Haditha but demanding of mention: seven Marines and one Navy corpsman reportedly will face murder charges over the shooting of an Iraqi man in April.
Update: Sweetness & Light notes some interesting coincidences involving one of the Iraqi reporters covering the alleged massacre.
Blowback
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Meanwhile, The Nation is ready to get drawing conclusions out of the way so they can get back to wild speculation.
Pablo on June 1, 2006 at 7:42 PM
This is what happened in ‘Nam. If Bush allows this to happen he’s lost me. He’d better show some backbone. The military are no more a bunch of babykillers than I was. We know that the enemy and the libs have a policy of lying, it’s called taqiyya. The only problem is we’re only shooting them over there, the other half of the lie is here. If nothing is done about it, it will fester.
Mike H. on June 1, 2006 at 8:34 PM
Bush lost me when he said Guest Worker program is not amnesty. Lyin’ SOB! UYAB!
RolandHall on June 1, 2006 at 9:28 PM
BUSH is out to destroy the GOP to lay the ground for the Democrats to rule, just like what his dad did before Clinton.
We must not let him succeed.
All these Iraq stuff are minor incidences.
The House must reject the senate Amnesty bill and let the issues be open until election.
The House GOP must stand firm and hold onto the platform of no Amnesty, no citizenship, no benefits for illegals, and secure our border.
With these issues we will prevail over the Democrats.
Bush is very worry that we may actually take seats from the Democrats. So he is pushing for a compromised bill and hope these issues are over before November. His anxiety shows that he is not on our side.
Why would he be worried? Why does he need to have the bill passed as soon as possible? Does he know the issues can only help us by November?
Enough said. Bush is a traitor of conservative GOP!
easy87us on June 1, 2006 at 10:39 PM
Gee, is this guy related to LT. Calley? I think anyone who accuses this man or any other Marine of murder while in combat should be sent to Iraq for an 18 month combat tour.
Then come back and talk about murder.
ZSQUAD on June 1, 2006 at 11:58 PM
I don’t think traitor easy87us, I think that the old Marine Corps saying applies here. ‘When you’re up to your a** in alligators, it’s hard to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.’
Mike H. on June 1, 2006 at 11:59 PM
Bush doesn’t want to drain the swamp. He IS the leader of the swamp.
RolandHall on June 2, 2006 at 12:04 AM
Who shots innocent civilians in the chest and abdomen? Could it be al Qaeda or the Iraqi insurgents?
I believe this is a highly manipulative ruse being conducted by al Qaeda and insurgents amplified by the ever-reliable mainstream media.
And, if so found, who is to be held accountable for this incredible rush to judgment?
Captain America on June 2, 2006 at 12:47 AM
Oldest trick in the book! Viet Cong used it many times. I say charge everyone with murder upon entering the service (that’s what they are there for anyway), court martial them, find them guilty, fine them $1, give them a carton of cigarettes and post them to a duty station. Kind of like sending an NJ political to jail first, then running him/her for office afterwards.
But seriously, it wouldn’t matter if he was there or back here in the states, this poor bastard’s career is over.
It took them a while because most of the pinchazos who were alive during the Vietnam War are gone. But someone found the old MSM playbook in a desk drawer and now some poor mothers’ sons are going to be offered up on their alter, there will be congressional hearings, we’ll start hearing about World Opinion, some poor Brit will be charged as well, and everything will start to unravel.
Unfortunately, just like LBJ, Bush is no testiculos and will never stand up for these brave souls. Thea, thea, thea, that’s all folks!
Dread Pirate Roberts VI on June 2, 2006 at 9:15 AM
You guys are part of the proble…ripping on the president like this. You couldn’t carry his jockstrap you whining idiots. He is your commander and chief and he is fighting two enemies. Don’t make yourselves the 3rd you selfish bastards.
tomas on June 2, 2006 at 10:50 AM
Are you kidding! His daughters have bigger testiculos than he does. And what or who is fighting? The MSM. The DEMS?
Hell, mark my words! St. Katie the Cute will be kicking his ass in the A Block the first night she’s on!
Fighting, don’t make me laugh! Maybe he’s fighting for the Mexicanos! Maybe he’s fighting for his legacy? But he’s not fighting for me any longer.
He’s not fighting to keep jobs here in America any longer!
He’s not fighting to keep our ports safe!
He’s not fighting to keep our borders safe!
He’s not fighting to protect our Social Security!
He’s not fighting to get gas prices down!
He’s not fighting to make healthcare more affordable!
He’s not fighting to build more refineries or power plants!
He’s not fighting the axis of evil any longer? Remember them!
He’s not fighting to shut up that Venezuelan Bunghole!
Hell, I turned the W sticker on my car over to an M!
He’s surrendered!
He’s quit!
He’s retired!
Put me in his position. Two years to go and a lifetime pension w/full benefits and 24/7/365 security and I’ll push the button. And just for fun, I’d put a match to the Rio Grande on the way out to dinner tonight and we’d own Venezuela in before breakfast tomorrow morning!
I swear to Christ on the Cross I’m never again voting for anyone’s kid, grandchild, husband, wife, mother or father ever again!
Let’s see someone with some stones who cares about American and not themselves step up to the plate like Teddy Roosevelt did and call their own ____’in convention. Let’s bring back the Bull Moose Party!!!!!
Bush, Commander in Chief, don’t make me laugh! We haven’t had a Commander in Chief since Lincoln!
Dread Pirate Roberts VI on June 2, 2006 at 1:32 PM
Back stabber…He is the best friend this country has…but you guys are too selfish to learn. Reagan said it himself.
Conservatives never learned that getting 70% of what you want is good…get the rest later.
Turncoats.
tomas on June 2, 2006 at 2:56 PM
Don’t you get it! There will not be a later!
Dread Pirate Roberts VI on June 2, 2006 at 2:59 PM
We thought George XLI was Reagan’s later! He wasn’t!
We thought George XLIII was Reagan’s later! He isn’t!
Wanna wait for George L?
Good bye my friend
bueno por mi amigo
صديقي حسن تكميليه
Dread Pirate Roberts VI on June 2, 2006 at 3:09 PM
drama queen. You all want want want and when it is time to sacrifice…you piss on the president and the soldiers. You don’t think you are, but you are…It makes me sick.
tomas on June 2, 2006 at 3:44 PM