This week, the U.S. Army punished a soldier in Iraq and apologized for his use of the Koran for target practice. Indeed, even the commander in chief himself issued an apology. Truly the war has been lost, not the military war against Jihadistan, but the war of ideas.

It is evident that one of two bad things has happened. We have written off the Islamic world and now assume it can’t handle the occasional slight that is an essential price you must pay for liberty. Or, political correctness and victimology have so pervaded our national consciousness that we have lost our own understanding of and respect for liberty. Neither is acceptable. It seems we were more than willing to humiliate one of our general officers publicly and kiss the Koran because some knuckleheaded staff sergeant vented some frustration in a war zone. This is politically correct nonsense of the highest order. If the sergeant disobeyed a lawful order by his actions, then by all means punish him under the UCMJ. Compared to the many brutal atrocities played out worldwide by our Islamofascist enemies, however, this solitary act by one of our soldiers pales in comparison. The actions of his chain of command are what worry me most. Have we failed so miserably in our efforts to teach the blessings of liberty that we must implement Sharia law in lieu of the UCMJ?

Speaking of political correctness, the Ninth Circus Court of Appeals ruled this week that if a member of the Armed Services is discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, the military must give a more thorough explanation than restating their policy that “homosexuality is incompatible with military service.” General George Washington agreed that a more thorough handling of the matter was necessary as well. Indeed, not only were homosexuals immediately discharged “with infamy,” but there was at least one instance in which Washington ordered that a soldier who had attempted sodomy be “drummed out of camp... by all the drummers and fifers in the Army never to return.”