The chief U.S. commander in Baghdad, Major General Jeff Hammond, apologized for a sniper section leader who used the Muslim holy book, the Quran, for target practice. A military leader kissed a Quran as a gift to the tribal leaders. The shooting happened on May 9 and was discovered two days later by Iraqi policemen. There were several bullet holes, a target, and expletives written on several pages.

The soldier’s apology letter read: “I sincerely hope that my actions have not diminished the partnership that our two nations have developed together. … My actions were shortsighted, very reckless and irresponsible, but in my heart [the actions] were not malicious.” The soldier was found guilty and will be redeployed in the United States.

The ignorance of this soldier in the situation is outrageous. It is understandable to hate the people who are fighting against you, but to so blatantly insult millions of good people around the world is despicable. Even after this horrendous act the soldier casually leaves the riddled book behind at an Iraqi police station where surely it would be found.

He is probably happy he did it because now he gets to…