"Yeah, well.. You're not from Chicago." Or Tikrit, apparently. That's all I can think of when I read about Col West and the difficulties he's facing for fighting terror the best way he knows how:
Army sources confirmed that Lt Col Allen B West of the Fourth Infantry Division has been charged with aggravated assault and faces either a court martial or being forced to resign early, losing retirement benefits.
The charges have been criticised by soldiers in the field, who pointed to the intense dangers faced in the Sunni triangle near Tikrit, including an assassination plot reportedly aimed at Col West, an artillery officer.
If Big Media, the Democrat presidential aspirants, and the Angry Left really care about our soldiers dying in Iraq, I assume we'll be hearing them all line up behind Col West any moment now.
In an e-mail to the Washington Times newspaper, Col West admitted to participating in the interrogation of an Iraqi policeman, identified by an informer as involved in attacks on US forces.
Determined to pry information from the policeman about an impending sniper attack, Col West said he took personal charge of the interrogation, warning subordinates that "it could get ugly".
In his e-mail, Col West said two of his soldiers did "physically aggress" the policeman. When that failed, he threatened the detained man with his 9mm pistol, and fired it twice.
He wrote: "Once I fired into the weapons clearing barrel outside the facility alone, and the next time I did it while having his head close to the barrel. I stood in between the firing and his person. I admit that what I did was not right, but it was done with the concern of the safety of my soldiers and myself."
If the Army goes forward with a court martial, I can only hope the President Bush has a pardon ready immediately.