Before we condemn our soldiers too much, we might consider that this war is the most humane war ever fought. In toppling the Saddam Hussein regime, there were relatively few non-combatant casualties. Afterward, our troops and American and foreign civilians went to great lengths to begin to rebuild the country, and much of that rebuilding has little to do with what was destroyed in war.

 How has this unprecedented effort been rewarded? Our soldiers have been ambushed and murdered by Hussein holdouts and Muslim fanatics. American and foreign civilians have been brutally murdered and their corpses treated in unspeakable ways -- and all of this to the glee of large Iraqi mobs. We should keep in mind that our soldiers are humans. I think it?s understandable that they might want revenge against perpetrators who?ve been involved with the murder and maiming of their comrades.

 Don?t get me wrong about this. Their actions are not to be condoned. But if President Bush and Congress want to know whether our soldiers? actions constitute torture, I suggest they ask former American Japanese POWs or, better yet, ask former Hanoi Hilton resident Sen. John McCain.

 By the way, if our soldiers are to be court-martialed for anything, it should be for stupidity -- stupidity of permitting photos to be taken of what they were doing.