Ok, so you've invaded and occupied a foreign power using reasoning so thin it makes an anorexic look obese. You've killed hundreds of civillians in 'friendly fire' incidents because your military in the main couldnt hit a barn door with a cruise missile.
How do you win the hearts and minds of the local population? You take into account the fact that they are a deeply religous people, even if you dont agree with the religion and then let a sniper use their holy book for target practice. No wonder Iraq is in such a bleedin mess at the moment.
US President George W Bush has made a personal apology over the shooting of a Koran by an American soldier, Iraq's government has said in a statement.
Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's office said Mr Bush had promised to send the accused American sniper to trial.
The soldier was sent home by the US military after the Muslim holy book was found riddled with bullet holes at a shooting range by Iraqi police.
The White House did not immediately comment on Mr Bush's reported apology.
The US military said last week that the soldier had been removed from his unit, sent home, and would be disciplined.
He was unnamed, but was said to be a staff sergeant in a sniper section.
'People's anger'
Mr Maliki's office said in a statement that Mr Bush had made a personal apology in a telephone call to the prime minister.
"The American president apologised on behalf of the United States... promising to present the soldier to the courts," Reuters news agency quoted the statement as saying.
Mr Maliki had expressed the anger felt by the Iraqi people and the nation's government, his office said.
A US military spokesman last week described the shooting as "both serious and deeply troubling", but stressed it was an "isolated incident and a result of one soldier's actions".
US military authorities have already apologised to community leaders in the area, west of Baghdad.
The military presented the elders with a new copy of the Koran.
