More innocent Iraqis killed then previously reported.

An official military investigation into allegations that American marines killed innocent Iraqis last November has uncovered evidence that the number of dead civilians is higher than the 15 originally reported, Congressional and Defense Department officials said.

The inquiry, which Pentagon officials said was still weeks from completion, has already raised fundamental questions about the propriety of actions by the troops, one Defense Department official said. But the official said that a characterization this week by a member of Congress that the Iraqis had been killed "in cold blood" was an extreme description of the incident.

On Wednesday, Representative John P. Murtha, Democrat of Pennsylvania, talked about the investigation at a news conference on Capitol Hill. "Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood," he said. "And that's what the report is going to tell."

He said he had not read the official findings of the inquiry, but had been told about them by officers he identified as commanders.

Mr. Murtha said the number of Iraqi civilians killed was about twice the initial report of 15. Defense Department officials said Thursday that evidence indicated that more than 15 had been killed, but that the inquiry had not confirmed his estimate of double that number.

The idea that this is being done in our name is almost too upsetting to contemplate. We must get our troops home and start the slow and difficult job of repairing the damage that George W. Bush has done to our reputation thoughout the world.

I would like to start today, how about you?