It appears very much as if several soldiers recently urinated on some bodies, and video-recorded themselves doing so.

It also appears very much as if this occurred in Afghanistan, these soldiers are U.S. Marines, and the bodies are Taliban.

“It was inhuman and despicable, an unforgivable act,” said Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi.  (Good to see he found some downtime to comment in between beating and raping women, locking children in boxes to suffocate, and so forth.  But maybe he’s not on those teams.)

The video has been universally condemned by U.S. officials as well.  This condemnation is, of course, correct.  However, its degree is absurd.  I think we have here an administration eager to once again prostrate and flog the United States for the world, and thankful for the opportunity to do so.  Why, they even gets to flavor the whole thing with their thinly-disguised contempt for the military!

A proper response—a strong, mature response—would have been a sincere apology and an assurance of thorough investigation (followed immediately by execution of said investigation, and punishment as appropriate).  The end.

(Actually I’ll put a small asterisk here—*—and say yeah, they could stop today and be leaving it at essentially that, and if they do, then I’ll respond accordingly.  Not holding my breath.)

For one thing, this behavior is clearly very far out of line with how the huge majority of American soldiers conduct themselves, and our highest officials excitedly wallowing in it lends it perceived credence it doesn’t deserve.  For another, we don’t know what immediately preceded this, but we do know they’re not on a nature hike over there.  It doesn’t excuse the activity, but let’s please consider that a 42-second video might be robbing us significant context.

(You know, as we gaze at our iPads, sip our Starbucks, and quack about these horrendous atrocities our boys committed.)