No Comparison.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)

Iraq: Those U.S. soldiers who committed crimes in Baghdad's notorious Abu Ghraib prison should be punished severely. But we also think a little perspective is in order.

It's painfully clear that something went awfully wrong at Abu Ghraib. That's why President Bush has told Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld to punish those found guilty of these "shameful and appalling acts" against Iraqi captives.

Already, 13 people have been reprimanded for the alleged psychological, physical and sexual abuse. More serious criminal charges will no doubt follow for violations of both the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Geneva Convention.

We're happy the U.S. continues to investigate. Those found guilty deserve their punishment -- including hard time in prison.

That said, the world's outrage and universal condemnation rings a bit false. Across the Mideast and in Europe's fashionable anti-American salons we've heard repeatedly that these actions show there's little difference between the Americans and Saddam Hussein.

In fact, this proves the opposite. The outrage and universal condemnation in the U.S. of these alleged breaches of the rules of war -- and the certainty of punishment -- show how different we are.

Yes, what happened was horribly wrong. But it's not even remotely in the same league as what Saddam did -- routinely using torture, murder and rape on hundreds of thousands of citizens. And he did so as an official policy of state, while many of those who now are in high dudgeon against the U.S. did nothing.