Let the (Left) Hand-Wringing Begin

AP reports that the US Army is investigating the shooting of an alleged unarmed Iraqi insurgent by US Marines.

Here we go. All the peaceniks will soon be decrying this "atrocity" and demand (yet again) our withdrawal from Iraq.

As I've said in earlier posts, I'm no fan of nation-building. However, if US troops are engaged in battle, I am willing to allow them whatever lattitude necessary, based on the circumstances, to be successful. Do not engage in second-guessing these men when you are in the comfort of your LazyBoy, 3000 miles away.

The Scotsman tells us this (which AP conveniently left out):

Military officials said a rebel tactic was to draw US soldiers in by pretending to be dead and then opening fire.

From AP:

...a Marine in the same unit had been killed just a day earlier when he tended to the booby-trapped dead body of an insurgent.

Sorry folks, but if you are going to use these tactics, you leave us no choice but to elevate to your grizzly level of combat. Lives are at stake. Its not time to "play nice".

AP also posts this picture. The caption implies that the Marine shown is in the process of killing someone on the floor. Now this is either a case of total ignorance of the subject matter, or an example of outright lying to skew the story.

Note the position of the Marine. He has just entered the room. Anyone with ANY military experience, or in fact, anyone with any exposure to TV or military computer games will immediately recognize that this is the standard position taken to enter and sweep a room.

No doubt, war is a lousy thing. But if we are engaged in it, we need to successfully execute it.
The purpose of war is to kill people and break things. Its not an exercise in politically-correct social engineering.