Two things about Iraq

First, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has essentially given up any faith in his power to prevent a nascent civil war from forming over there.

Second, four US soldiers could face the death penalty for their part in the alleged murder of three civilians.

I’d say that’s some depressing news all around. Sistani was largely heralded as a “moderate” who could ease tension between the Sunnis and Shiites. Now it appears that further sectarian violence is unavoidable.

As for the soldiers, I think it’s only fair for a nation that supports the death penalty to apply it equally to its men and women serving in the military. Although it seems true that the fog of war is deeply shrouded in moral ambiguity, we shouldn’t allow ourselves to lose sight of our moral bearing. This is especially true in the wake of Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, “Extraordinary Rendition,” and the numerous series of well documented allegations of torture.
War is hell. Our soldiers knew this when they signed up. Whatever the stress they face, they’re still American citizens subject to American laws. A license to kill in wartime is not a license to kill indiscriminately. That’s a point that is unfortunately lost in Rumsfeld’s Pentagon.

At the end of the day, murder is murder no matter how you cut it.