Anyone who has been in in the shit and kept their head and yes, heart about them without succumbing to "war time rationale and justifications" to perpetrate cold-blooded, inhumane, gutless and heartless killings will agree with me when I say these soldiers--all of them--blew the call.

What they did--even by war-time, insurgent intensive, flexible, fuzzy, relaxed and "off-the-grid" rules of engagement was murder pure and simple. The commander on the ground coldly, calculatingly, and with premeditation killed plain and simple. They had options,many of them, all of which wouldn't have pumped up their kills but solved the problem in a more humane, responsible, courageous manner.

It's one thing to be surprised, have to make a split second decision and it's you and your buddies in the shit and your lives may be--or not--on the line but you have to make the call in an instant and you don't want to be wrong on that one. War sucks. It sucks in unimaginable ways when you are in it. You make decisions in the heat of the battle and you can't second guess.

But when an enemy,--even a confirmed enemy-- is lying on the ground in front of you, he is compliant and, he would likely surrender if given the options and you just met his son, saw his son, and you know in your head and heart that this is a surreal situation that has real consequences, then God Damn It, you don't shoot the man in cold blood. You don't.

You keep your shit together and you remember that you are human being, in a soldier's uniform and you do the right God Damn Thing and that does not include putting a bullet in his head.

How are we even debating this? Have we lost our minds, our souls.

I hate to read this shit. and yes, their are two sides and we weren't there. but the facts as related in the article make me ashamed in so many ways.

And the soldier who gave the command is now training special forces for his leadership out in the field. That's great. That's just great.

Why Army leadership loses their balls and their minds and their common sense at the expense of human lives as they move up the chain-of-command is left for others to debate They don't do the right thing in war-time. They give up their soldiers for dead with so many dumb, suck-up, decisions they make in a vacuum and when they do they betray the uniform, the flag, and they dishonor so many brave men and women who have honorably, bravely and with much confusion, fear and courage served our country.

This is sickening to me.

A few nights ago, at a social gathering, Wolf Blitzer's name came up and boy did the mocking begin. No one was spared. It seems all TV journalists are held in disdain, across the board, at least as evidenced by this representative group of 40 something professionals.

Diane Sawyer was the object of particular scorn for the oh-os-nonchalant come hither coyness that she wears on her sleeve.

Larry King needs to retire was the consensus. He looks like a deer caught on the headlights most days.

It seems that while many of us sit and watch--and it seems we at least do that-- the mealy mouthed TV talking news heads we find ourselves loathing their every utterance.

They've all become what we as Americans in 2008 wanted them to become, or perhaps, more accurately willed them to become: Vapid, self important blowhards.

Perhaps we see too much of ourselves in our mainstream, prime-time airbrushed TV journalists.

Reporters aren't the new anyway. Note to Barbara: Shut Up. Since when is "asking the tough questions" rocket science" anyway.

He imparted his morals on everybody. It's not about the Sex this time it's about the Holier than Thou, ram it down your throat tactics of Eliot Mess. He's a pathetic prickwad for how he set himself up to be the all-time poster child of what-goes-around-COMES-around. He's pathetic. She's aloser for standing up there with him. Sets women back. Hard to respect them en-masse when so many of them are so pathetic. Just saying.

You see this 22 year old Jersey girl with fake tits, not very attractive in the $3,000 an hour way, and has a my space page that is well, as if a 22 year-old would do a My Space page.

She is going to come across as some vapid, lame 22 year-old. And he will come across as some pathetic middle aged, reckless prick. Rightly so. This just exposes the underbelly of our tawdry ways and the human condition. A great lenten story. Ouch on us all. It isn't pretty. And no, neither is she. Be honest.

This poor girl didn't even have the sense to go make 250k from her story when she could. now, she'll get some $$ from someone but what could've been.

How did Silda stand by her man? Really? That was the big debate in the office today. Everyone hands-down, throught the more fitting women to stand up there with Eliot was Kristen.

That's who everyone wanted to see.

Once, just once, I'd like to see the middle aged guy caught with a woman nearing his own age, with the wisdom, education, worldliness and sense of self and power that would make it all seem as if maybe, for an instant, it seemed worthwhile. And that what's sexy to men that have aged with some wisdom. And if their lucky, and smart, it is their wife. Shame on Eliot. And I think, shame on his wife for standing up there. Yet another woman I don't want my daughters to relate to.