Perry: Marines In Video Are ‘Kids,’ Not Criminals

January 15, 2012 2:57 PM

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) – Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry on Sunday accused the Obama administration of “over-the-top rhetoric” and “disdain for the military” in its condemnation of a video that purportedly shows four Marines urinating on corpses in Afghanistan.

Perry’s comments put him at odds with Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, who said the images could damage the war effort.

“The Marine Corps prides itself that we don’t lower ourselves to the level of the enemy,” McCain said when asked about Perry’s position. “So it makes me sad more than anything else, because … I can’t tell you how wonderful these people (Marines) are. And it hurts their reputation and their image.”

No one has been charged in the case, but officials in the U.S. and abroad have called for swift punishment of the four Marines. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said last week that he worried the video could be used by the Taliban to undermine peace talks.

A military criminal investigation and an internal Marine Corps review are under way. The Geneva Conventions forbid the desecration of the dead.

Texas Gov. Perry said the Marines involved should be reprimanded but not prosecuted on criminal charges.

“Obviously, 18-, 19-year-old kids make stupid mistakes all too often. And that’s what’s occurred here,” Perry told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

He later added: “What’s really disturbing to me is the kind of over-the-top rhetoric from this administration and their disdain for the military.”

Later appearing on the same show, McCain said he disagreed.

“We’re trying to win the hearts and minds” of the Afghanistan population, he said. “And when something like that comes up, it obviously harms that ability.”

Perry: Marines In Video Are Kids, Not Criminals

http://fortworthinsight.com/news/perry-marines-in-video-are-kids-not-criminals/ Perry: Marines In VIdeo Are ‘Kids,’ Not Criminals « Fort Worth News Feeds

[...] Go to News Source [...]
ken

I have NEVER agreed with Rick Perry on ANYTHING, that is, until this moment.
leero

They may be kids, but that in no way excuses their actions, or lessens deserved punishment. An 18-year-old is old enough to understand that desecrating a body is a repugnant and inhumane act. How would we treat an 18-year-old who peed on a body in a morgue?

A Marine, just like any representative of the country, must hold himself (and be held) to a higher standard. This comes with the job. We might be hiring the wrong people for this job, but it is the nature of the job nonetheless.

crowleyguy

You didn’t hire anybody, they volunteered.
Devil Dog

An 18-year-old thrust into a hellish, bloody, chaotic world they thought they could handle when they enlisted, but could not? These are 18-year-old kids whose innocence was obliterated in a matter of weeks upon setting foot on that soil. Of course they’re going to act like barbarians from time to time. They were formed and molded into that life. I agree with Ken on this one. Perry is a class-A buffoon, but he’s right on this one.

http://dallasforme.com/2012/01/perry-marines-in-video-are-kids-not-criminals/ » Perry: Marines In VIdeo Are ?Kids,? Not Criminals Me and the Chicks

[...] its condemnation of a video that purportedly shows four Marines urinating on corpses in Afghanistan. More from: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/0… Filed under Uncategorized | Leave a [...]
Roage

The US government Teaches us to kill with no remorse. (These were KIDS). THEY ARE HERO’S The enemy desecrated This COUNTRY. HOW QUICKLY THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FORGET.
dawnssister

Just another example of Perry’s frat boy mentality. Am I the only one who gets the impression that Perry and his friends sprayed a few golden showers themselves in their day, like maybe yesterday?
http://wpvins.wordpress.com/2012/01/15/rick-perry-marines-urinating-on-corpses-were-just-kids-shouldnt-face-criminal-charges/ Rick Perry: Marines urinating on corpses were just kids, shouldn’t face criminal charges | Odds and Ends: Pit's Complete Waste of Bandwidth

[...] Perry: Marines In VIdeo Are ‘Kids,’ Not Criminals – CBS Local (dfw.cbslocal.com) [...]
its me

Why are we sending “kids” to war? Maybe we should wait until they’re “adults” before throwing them into war zones, then they’d be grown up enough to know the difference between right and monumentally wrong..
altha

Its me They volunteer we are not sending kids to war.
Chad Short

“We’re trying to win the hearts and minds” of the Afghanistan population, he said. “And when something like that comes up, it obviously harms that ability.”

Then stop trying to steal their oil maybe that would be a big help !!!!!!
Real Marines

Yes they were wrong, they should have krapped all over these sob’s! hey people, remember the almost 3000 killed by these types. Maybe we need to get some generals like Patton back in our armed services. Semper fi Marines!

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Perry: Marines In Video Are ‘Kids,’ Not Criminals

January 15, 2012 2:57 PM

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