The abuse of war prisoners is a national disgrace. It’s a reminder of what a few bad apples can do to make our nation look criminal. Yet of all the things that we’ve done wrong in Iraq, I have faith that these few will be properly punished. I also believe most Muslims will see clearly that they do not exemplify all Americans and that their prosecution does.

The trouble is, young men are inexperienced and lack the wisdom of life and of history to judge events like these with objectivity. The young are filled with passionate emotionalism all over the world. And young Muslims are more likely to judge us harshly because of these bad apples and other gaffes we’ve committed. Older folks with a power agenda will find them ripe for recruitment to extremist or criminal orgs.

I read one report that said these soldiers were not properly trained in the rules of the Geneva Convention. That defense is akin to saying we forgot to train them not to kick babies. People who lack the common sense to act like civil people do deserve no place in any position of responsibility. They belong in jail.

It doesn’t take a radical response from the majority of Muslims to get paid back as a nation for what these soldiers did. The minority, the angry ones newly committed against us by these atrocities, can do plenty of damage without the support of mainstream Muslims.

But there remains one way to limit that yet. No, not by being tough to those who dare oppose us. This time, the task is simple and inexpensive. On behalf of our nation, George Bush must apologize to all Iraqis for those wayward soldiers. If he doesn’t, we’re all at greater risk.

It’s the only way forward, the best way to demonstrate that we’re not amoral or immoral monsters. A simple gesture that could save thousands of lives; Bush has no other logical choice.

Riverbend, in Baghdad, describes how popular Ahmad Chalabi has become in Iraq:

Chalabi has only lately ventured out from under his rock (in the usual flashy tie) to cry out that Lakhdhar Il Braheimi, the special UN representative sent by Kofi to check out the possibility of elections, is completely and totally biased against Shi’a. So now Chalabi seems to consider himself a champion of Shi’a everywhere in Iraq. The amusing thing about this is the fact that, apparently, no one has told Chalabi that he has become the joke of the Shi’a community. We (Sunnis and Shi’a) tease each other with things like, “So… the Shi’a man of the moment is Chalabi, ah?!” and the phrase is usually received with an indignant outcry and a comparison of the man of the moment to… Britney Spears, for example.

An already wealthy man, getting wealthier by both the bullet down and build up, on the power of myth and makeup and a song about love by an inexperienced lover. Wherever he goes, people scream. Yup, the Brittany analogy is perfect.

At the top of the charts: “Oops, I cashed in again.”

Percentages are useful for creating misperceptions, as noted in this Brad DeLong post about manipulative campaign ads touting economic numbers.

Consider this point in a new ad, titled “Working to Keep America Working,” which hypes the Bush administration’s record: “Unemployment rate after Bill Clinton’s third year, 5.6%. Unemployment rate after G.W. Bush’s third year, 5.6%.” True, but isn’t it gutsy to say this seeing as the unemployment rate was about 4 percent when Bush was elected (therefore it rose 1.6 percentage points to 5.6 percent) and was 7.5 percent when Clinton was elected (therefore it fell almost 2 percentage points to 5.6 percent)?

It’s also worth noting that, as years roll by, the population grows, so more actual numbers of people would be unemployed even with identical unemployment rates.

The Rev. William Sloane Coffin is one of the founders of the Clergy Leadership Network. He was very kind to spend some time this afternoon on the telephone with me to discuss his views on the 2004 elections, the conflict in Iraq, and his views on what role churches should play on public policy issues.

CLN is hosting a National Gathering of progressive religious leaders on May 16-18 in Cleveland. This interview is the second in a series with CLN leaders before the May gathering. The first was with The Rev. Dr. Albert Pennybacker. A video presentation featuring Rev. Coffin will be shared in Cleveland.

William Sloane Coffin has been a leading voice for religious progressives for decades. For many years he served as the Chaplin at Yale University and as the senior minister of Riverside Church in New York City. He later served as president of SANE/FREEZE.

The first time I heard him speak was when I was a student at Pacific University and he was brought to campus by Dr. Russell Dondero. The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, a professor of mine at Eden Theological Seminary, is a CLN member and friend of Rev. Coffin’s and helped to facilitate my conservation with Rev. Coffin this afternoon.

Rev. Coffin just published his latest book, Credo, which is a great read. If you missed his recent interview with Bill Moyers it is available online here.

You can read his interview with me here.