Another Haditha Dismissal; John Murtha Unavailable for Comment

No surprise here. The surprise is the media even notices.

Of course, Democrat John Murtha has rhetorical blood on his hands, but he's a Democrat, so it's OK.

CAMP PENDLETON ---- A military judge has dismissed charges against a Marine officer accused of failing to investigate the killings of 24 Iraqis.

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

Can I question Murtha's patriotism yet? Will anyone in the DC press corps even bother asking him about it?

Earlier coverage from the North County Times.

Of course, none of this news pales in comparison with what has now been the top story for the past 30 hours.

Update: Michelle Malkin suggests it's time to Fight the Smears.