Rep. John Murtha is really beginning to rue the day he made disparaging remarks about marines involved in the Haditha Incident where Iraqis in a home were killed. Murtha had called the actions of the marines "cold blooded murder" although the facts of the incident were not known at the time. Murtha had stated that the people killed were innocent Iraqi civilians but, again, the complete facts of the incident are not completely known.

One of the marines whom Murtha referenced as a killer, Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich has filed a defamation of character suit against Murtha. Murtha sought to have the case dismissed, but according to the AP the judge, Rosemary M. Collyer, has refused request.

"You're writing a very wide road for members of Congress to go to their home districts and say anything they choose about private persons and be able to do so without any liability. Are you sure you want to do that?" Collyer said, adding later, "How far can a congressman go and still be protected?"

Murtha will now be required to make a deposition in the case.

According to the article, Murtha's primary purpose was to draw attention to the pressure the troops in were under and to show that there were efforts to cover up the incident. What Murtha failed to take into consideration was the fact that the case had not been tried and all the facts had not surfaced. By jumping the proverbial gun, Murtha stated untrue allegations about the marines and did so on television. Ultimately, the charges were outright dismissed against several of the marines.

The decision of the judge not to dismiss the case comes on the heels of Murtha's embarrassing performance when a college student cornered the congressmen and asked him point blank and asked him if he would retract his statements. Murtha responded that the trial was not over yet.