A New York Times article today by Robert Worth looked at five current allegations of U.S. atrocities and concluded, "Some military officials and experts say the new crop of cases appears to arise from a confluence of two factors: an increasingly chaotic and violent war with no clear end in sight, and a newly vigilant attitude among American commanders about civilian deaths."This is yet another unfortunate example of what happens when you put men into a war that goes on and on and on with no plan for victory. Bush botched this war, and our troops, and the Iraqi public, are paying the price.
Some of the men charged had done multiple tours in Iraq. "They can become almost numb to the killing," Charles W. Gittins, a former marine and a lawyer who has represented marines in Iraq, told the Times. "The more you're in it, the more you want to live through it. You think more about preserving your own life than about what's the right thing to do."
Here's the entire NYT story.
