Did soldiers plan the rape of that Iraqi woman? Is this how we are making a difference in Iraq?

Investigators believe a group of U.S. soldiers suspected of raping an Iraqi woman, then killing her and three members of her family plotted the attack for nearly a week, a U.S. military official said Saturday.

The Americans entered the Sunni Arab's family home, separated three males from the woman, raped her and burned her body using a flammable liquid in a cover-up attempt, a military official close to the investigation said. The three males were also slain.

The soldiers had studied their victims for about a week and the attack was "totally premeditated," the official said on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing. The family had just moved into the home in the insurgent-riddled area around Mahmoudiya, 20 miles south of Baghdad.

Americans are being viewed as barbarians by the rest of the world. We can discount their opinions and insult them all we want, but the facts are that we seem to be doing everything we can to reinforce that sterotype. How can we be seen as the best hope for peace in the world when our military resorts to such primitive, hate-filled behavior?

I have no doubt that all of this puts a smile on the faces of China's leadership, who are quickly moving to take our place as the world's next superpower. At this point all they have to do is sit back and watch as we literally self-destruct.

We are doing everything we can to make a smooth transition possible for our eventual replacements.