The Tribune editorial staff

Have you heard the one about the Catholic priest and the Jewish rabbi in the bar? No, you see, you probably thought we were about to make a joke about one or both of the characters based on their religion.

In short, we suppose we easily caught you jumping to conclusions.

Don't feel bad: Jumping to conclusions is human.

Jumping to conclusions is what many people across the world are doing about a short scene from Iraq this week.

A U.S. Marine fatally shot and killed an already wounded man who appeared unarmed at the time. The move has drawn much criticism from people all over the world, but in particular the Sunni Muslims in Iraq.

The sensational footage was shown repeatedly on Al-Jazeera television, further stirring an already tense emotional stew.

Gut reaction to the video may lead the viewer to jump to the conclusion that the shooting was simply made out of anger and perhaps frustration.

The shooting occurred one day after the Marine was wounded in the face and a booby-trapped body of an insurgent killed another man in his unit.

Given that soldier's expected state of mind, it is no wonder one's judgment might be skewed a bit.

The soldier in question may in fact wind up being a political scapegoat to appease the crowds. As unfortunate as the unarmed man's death may be, he was in an area where innocent civilians had been asked to leave; yet this man remained. Was he a terrorist? We may never know. But was the U.S. Marine wrong in taking his life? Probably so, but many innocent people die during war.

Americans must realize that the war in Iraq and the greater war on terrorism will not be easy and they will not be painless. War is, almost by its definition, not a fun thing to watch, let alone participate.

Jumping to conclusions about what may or may not have happened will do no one any good. We can only hope that Al-Jazeera and others stop pouring gasoline on the fire until the issue settles down a bit. Jumping to conclusions and pointing fingers in the middle of a war does nothing.