[JohnR]

Originally Posted by Pete F.

When we began the so-called War on Terror after 9/11, we held the moral high ground not only in our own eyes but in the eyes of people around the world. We lost a great deal of that moral high ground over the years during incidents like Abu Ghraib and Nisour Square that showed our personnel behaving not much better than the people we fought. But even then, our Embassy spokespeople and public affairs staff were able to point to our justice system and explain that — unlike the terrorists — we have a foundational commitment to holding bad actors accountable. And we could differentiate between ourselves and the terrorists we killed because we were defending ourselves, not taking delight in death or coming close to sounding sadistic. Our friends and partners could see us claim that, though we have been at war in the Middle East for almost two decades, we don’t enjoy it and wish it were otherwise. We gave bin Laden a proper Muslim burial not because we cared about him, but because retaining the moral high ground meant showing respect for religion if not for the man. And we always talked about that killing as a necessity, not a delight. Trump, in using almost gleeful language that echoes language the terrorists themselves use when they talk about killing Americans, eroded some of our remaining moral high ground. And that, in turn, will make it more difficult to find or keep friends and partners we may need in the future. This is but one of America's strengths that Trump is throwing away.

I will give Trump credit for recognizing that it was critical to make sure that al-Baghdadi’s followers or those who might be inspired in the future do not see him as having died a hero or a martyr. But Trump, as usual, could not resist gilding the lily without apparent concern for the consequences.

Yep - the US effed up several things there, and some people milked that situation for all it is worth, but still the most benevolent Army you will run into. Concede the Moral High Ground my a$$ - tell me Pete - who maintains a higher moral high ground, a higher standard than the US Military at war?