I wholeheartedly agree with Professor Cole's sentiment.  The cold-blooded murder of Margaret Hassan and the killing of a wounded Iraqi by a jumped up marine are not moral equivalents.  Our soldiers are not like Zarqawi's gang of thugs.  Not all killings are equal.

However, I disagree with Professor Cole's conclusion that the author in the Al-Hayat piece was attempting to put the marines and the Sunni Arab guerillas who execute hostages on the same moral level.  This is what the author stated, according to Professor Cole's translation:

"The killing of a wounded Iraqi in a Fallujah mosque by an American Marine and the killing of the Iraqi-British hostage Margaret Hassan epitomize the battle taking place in Iraq. As the American military began its investigation of the marine's motives, an Islamic group broadcast a cassette of the slaughter of the female hostage." 

The author thus juxtaposes not only the acts of killing, but also the conduct post actus reus of the groups responsible for the killings.  A possible war crime by a marine was immediately investigated by the U.S. military, thus conveying the American method of using the process of law to deal with alleged criminal acts.  In contrast, Hassan's murderers immediately broadcast a video of their vicious crime on the Internet.  The juxtaposition is clear: Americans use law and order quietly and efficaciously to pursue justice, punish criminals, and preserve morality, while Islamic terrorists use the Internet to publicize and aggrandize their brutality.

Therefore, the epitome of the battle taking place in Iraq is this: America cannot win this war.  The image of a seemingly defenseless Iraqi being shot to death at point blank range by an American soldier in a place of Islamic worship will not be forgotten or excused by Arabs in the Middle East.  The more this image is broadcast in the Middle East, the more America will be hated, because we are the powerful invaders.  Contrariwise, the broadcast of a cold-blooded murder by a gang of terrorist thugs reveals the futility of America; because no matter how strong America is, no matter how much progress America makes, no matter how much damage and casualties America inflicts, a gang of ragamuffin thugs can execute innocent people at any time in Iraq.

America is attempting, and failing, to use violence judiciously to bring peace, while guerillas are marketing violence to gain new recruits.  Guess which side is winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people?