Pot, Meet Kettle

Via the AP, a group in Iraq has posted a video claiming the abduction and killing of two american soldiers was in retaliation for the rape and murder of Abeer Qassim Hamza in the Youssifiyah area and the killing of her parents and a younger sister. Group: Soldiers killed over rape-slaying:

BAGHDAD, Iraq - An al-Qaida-linked group posted a Web video Tuesday purporting to show the mutilated bodies of two U.S. soldiers, claiming it killed them in revenge for the rape-slaying of a young Iraqi woman by American troops from the same unit.

The Mujahedeen Shura Council previously claimed responsibility for killing the two soldiers, who were seized in a June 16 attack near the town of Youssifiyah, southwest of Baghdad. A third soldier was killed in the attack.

But the statement was the first time the group linked the slaying to the rape case.

A statement by the group said the video was released as "revenge for our sister who was dishonored by a soldier of the same brigade."

It said that as soon as fighters heard of the rape-slaying, "they kept their anger to themselves and didn't spread the news, but were determined to avenge their sister's honor."

"God Almighty enabled them to capture two soldiers of the same brigade as this dirty crusader," said the written statement posted along with the video.

The U.S military has charged five soldiers, including two sergeants, in connection to the March 12 alleged rape and murder of Abeer Qassim Hamza in the Youssifiyah area and the killing of her parents and a younger sister. The U.S. military released the identities of the suspects Monday.

This is dreadful, but is it really so surprising? From the same article:

The U.S. military said Tuesday it condemns "in the strongest of terms" the release of the video showing the two mutilated American soldiers. "It demonstrates the barbaric and brutal nature of the terrorists and their complete disregard for human life," it said in a statement. "Coalition Forces remain resolute in our in commitment to catch the perpetrators of this crime and bring them to justice."

Ahem. I think at this point the Iraqis think we're just as bad. To them, we are the ravening hordes from Mordor, who have invaded their land on false pretenses and destroyed their society. We've made it clear that we do not value Iraqi life.

On Sunday, Andrew J. Bacevich had an important piece in the Washington Post about this very issue. What's an Iraqi Life Worth?, which is well worth your time. The fact is that we've never valued Iraqi lives. The whole calculus "we must fight them there so we don't have to fight them there" proclaims that. We've said, "sorry if we blow up your country and kill a bunch of you, it's justified to keep us safe."

Actually, I'm pretty sure we're not very sorry. Just look at the hideous rhetoric coming out of the neo-con camp the past few days. This post from Lawrence Kaplan, "A Hideous Truth" paints the whole ugly picture:

How can you win over the heart and mind of someone who sews a dog's head on a girl? Would more U.S. troops alter Iraq's homicidal dynamic? Not really, given that, on the question of sectarian rage, America is now largely beside the point. True, U.S. troops can be--and have been--a vital buffer between Iraq's warring sects. But they cannot reprogram their coarsened and brittle cultures.

Just a thought, but perhaps not breaking that culture in the first place might have made the difference. And perhaps a "kill them all, let god sort them out" approach isn't helpful either.

Actions have consequences. We see it everyday in the endless parade of horrors that is Baghdad. Scores of civilians have died in the past month, and scores more will probably die in the months to come. All of it unneccessary.

This whole fiasco is the stuff of nightmares. It keeps me up at night. I only wish it were keeping someone in the White House up as well. Something tells me those sociopaths are sleeping just fine.

The incomparable Billmon has more.