This time it will be different

Because, you know, we're building democracy in Iraq. And there aren't any jungles. And our guys aren't smoking dope and listening to the Doors.

But they're still scared kids, far from home and under attack at unpredictable intervals. It was bound to happen that they would become increasingly hostile to their situation and eventually dehumanize the population around them.

"Guys in my unit, particularly the younger guys, would drive by in their Humvee and shatter bottles over the heads of Iraqi civilians passing by. They'd keep a bunch of empty Coke bottles in the Humvee to break over people's heads."

He said he had confronted guys who were his friends about this practice. "I said to them: 'What the hell are you doing? Like, what does this accomplish?' And they responded just completely openly. They said: 'Look, I hate being in Iraq. I hate being stuck here. And I hate being surrounded by hajis.' "

Hajis. Ragheads. Gooks. Kikes. It's not new, but it's not good. And right now it's the public face of our nation. Those guys need to come home, for all of our sakes.

(via Atrios)