Was There a Cover-Up After Haditha Killings?

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

No 'Knowing Cover-Up'

Major General Eldon Bargewell — in charge of investigating whether Marines covered up the killing of two-dozen Iraqi civilians in Haditha — has completed his report, finding no evidence of a "knowing cover-up" of the incident.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Bargewell instead blames "faulty oversight" by low-level officers and command staff in Baghdad, who he says failed to demand a thorough explanation of what happened.

Pennsylvania Democrat John Murtha, a leading war critic, said there was "no question" about a Haditha cover-up last month, asking, "Who covered up? And why did they cover it up? ... We don't know how far it goes."

Blame Game

Critics at Human Rights Watch were quick to blame Israel for the horrific deaths of seven Palestinians on a Gaza beach last week, despite Israeli denials and the group's investigator Marc Garlasco said all evidence from the incident pointed to an Israeli artillery shell.

But the Jerusalem Post reports that Garlasco now agrees with Israeli investigators that unexploded ordinance under the beach likely caused the blast.

While Garlasco praised the Israeli team's "competent job" in ruling out artillery fire, he claims the IDF did not take several important pieces of evidence into consideration and Human Rights Watch continues to demand an "independent inquiry."

Political Celebration?

Egyptian soccer fans are up in arms over an African player who celebrated a goal at the World Cup by waving an Israeli flag.

Ghana defenseman John Pantsil is a popular player in an Israeli soccer league and celebrated his country's second goal against world power the Czech Republic by brandishing the flag to thank Israeli supporters who traveled to Germany to watch the game.

But Egyptian papers have savaged Pantsil, calling him "ignorant and stupid" and a "Mossad agent" — and accusing Israel of paying him for the celebration.

Pantsil has apologized for the incident and Ghana's soccer association chalked it up to Pantsil's "naiveté."

Sexist Trinity?

The Presbyterian National Assembly has agreed to allow churches to change how they refer to the holy Christian Trinity of "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" — because the traditional phrasing promotes men as superior to women.

Some "alternative phrasings" proposed by the church? "Mother, Child and Womb," "Rock, Redeemer and Friend," and "Lover, Beloved, Love."

Presbyterian Legislative Committee chair, Nancy Olthoff, says the decision doesn't alter the church's theological position, but merely "provides an educational resource to enhance the spiritual life of our membership."

—FOX News Channel's Aaron Bruns contributed to this report.