Apparently it was just like Jenin, except it took a lot longer to debunk, and the media played along, as usual.

In the case of Haditha, the terrorists' media strategy worked and caused a lot of problems. An anti-war congressman claimed that a cover-up of cold-blooded murder by the Marines occurred. There was a controversy that has gone on for a number of months. And al Qaeda will come away with articles about massacres that never happened. It is a partial media victory for the terrorists – mostly because the lies have been somewhat unraveled, but the truth will not get the same airplay as the false claims.

Someone should set up a legal fund to allow the Marines that were falsely accused to sue John Murtha for slander.