The Soldier Bush Abandoned

We now have his name confirmed: Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie. On the orders of Moqtada al-Sadr, U.S. forces withdrew from the neighborhood where al-Taayie was taken. We are now told there is "political activity" on the soldier's behalf. Pray for him.

But know this as well: under this commander-in-chief, the U.S. military has both practised torture and abandoned a missing soldier in action. The commander-in-chief has ultimate responsibility for both decisions. he is directly responsible for betraying the honor of the armed services he is duty-bound to lead. So is Rumsfeld. So is Cheney.

Why is this not the lead item on the news? If this were a Democratic president abandoning a U.S. soldier to a Shiite militia, do you think the Republicans would not be protesting this from the rooftops? Where is McCain? Or is this another example of what has happened to him?

(AP photo: the sister of Israa Abdul-Satar, Asmaa, holds a photograph of her and her husband, a missing US soldier, Ahmed Qusai al-Taei, while her father Abdul-Satar Sultan looks on in Baghdad on Monday.)