Bryan Preston from HotAir.com called John Murtha’s DC office. He recorded the call and has put it on YouTube. Here’s Bryan’s audiotaped ‘conversation’:

The woman in this audiotape who said that she doesn’t “talk to the media” is the woman that I talked with Friday morning. I don’t know her name but she isn’t someone who should be answering the phone. In fact, she’s doing more harm than good. She isn’t Murtha’s communications director. Murtha’s communications director is a man named Matt Mazonkey.

Mazonkey won’t talk to me either. I tried talking with him when Col. Ware first recommended that Gen. Mattis drop the charges against LCpl. Sharratt. I was told that he was in a meeting but that he’d call me back. Mr. Mazonkey hasn’t called back, though I’m still willing to talk with him.

What I can’t understand is she’d want to answer Murtha’s phone. In light of the ongoing scandal, she must feel like the bloggers’ punching bag. I don’t think that she’s used to hearing from people that question her. I’m betting that she’s used to hearing from people asking for Murtha’s help or to defense contractors who are looking for more earmarks.

The bad news for the Murtha camp is that the Haditha story just went international:

A statement released by the Marines at their Camp Pendleton base in southern California revealed that three charges of unpremeditated murder against Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt had been withdrawn. The decision was announced in a written ruling from the commander Lieutenant General James Mattis and followed a recommendation from an investigator last month that the charges should be dropped.

“An independent Article 32 investigating officer has considered all the facts and determined that the evidence does not support a referral to court-martial for Lance Corporal Sharratt,” Mattis wrote. “Based on my review of all the evidence in this case and considering the recommendation of the Article 32 officer, I have dismissed the charges.”

Now the entire world will know that Rep. Murtha, at best, was ill-informed. At worst, which I think is most likely, Murtha knew he wasn’t telling the truth. Frankly, I can’t be convinced that he’s an honest person because this timeline shows the erratic nature of his replies.

It’s now a statement of fact that Murtha’s accusations were opinions, not facts. The facts are on Justin Sharratt’s and Randy Stone’s sides. It’s fact that the investigating office, Lt. Col. Paul Ware, recommended that all charges be dropped. It’s also fact that the man with the final say on whether LCpl. Sharratt would face a court martial, Lt. Gen. James Mattis, dropped the charges against both LCpl. Sharratt and Capt. Stone.

To refresh people’s memories, here’s the abridged version of Lt. Col. Ware’s statement:

In a statement recommending the charges be dropped released last month, investigator Lieutenant Colonel Paul Ware said the prosecution charges were “unsupported by the independent evidence.” “To believe the government version of facts is to disregard clear and convincing evidence to the contrary,” Ware added.

In other words, Murtha’s information couldn’t withstand the strict scrutiny of a trial. I wonder if Murtha’s contacts, the “commanders”, whom Murtha said “know what they’re talking about”, even exist. If they do, they need to be held accountable for leaking this erroneous information.

I suspect that they don’t exist. If that’s true, then Murtha hung these genuine American heroes out to dry based purely on political ambition. Based on other Murtha statements, it isn’t likely that these “commanders” who allegedly gave him this information exist. We know from my timeline that the Marine Corps has verified that Gen. Hagee, then the Marine Corps commandant, briefed Rep. Murtha a week after Rep. Murtha initially accused the Haditha Marines of cold-blooded murder and of covering the incident up.

Technically speaking, Rep. Murtha is a public servant, though servant wouldn’t be the first word I’d think of in a word association game. As such, he’s accountable to us, first to the voters in his district, but also to Americans in general. After all, when he attempted to railroad these American heroes, he trampled on everyone’s constitutional rights.

What We Know

• We know that John Murtha owes these Marines and their families a heartfelt apology.
• We know that John Murtha owes the Marine Corps an apology.
• Most importantly, we know that John Murtha’s attempting to railroad these American heroes makes him unfit to serve another day in the United States House of Representatives.

That’s why the House of Representatives should boot him out. If they don’t, they should be held accountable for not living up to Ms. Pelosi’s promise of being the “most ethical Congress in history.” If they won’t live up to the most important of their promises, they should be made to pay with their incumbencies.

Technorati Tags: Randy Stone, Justin Sharratt, James Mattis, Paul Ware, Article 32, Court Martial, Mike Hagee, Constitution, John Murtha, Nancy Pelosi, Culture Of Corruption, Election 2008