I’m not convinced that U.S. Marines actually urinated on Taliban corpses. I sure hope they didn’t. Having watched the video many times, I’m still not sure what I’m seeing. At first blush, it looks like servicemen desecrating the dead bodies of battlefield opponents. But I can’t be positive. Pardon my coarseness, but I don’t see a stream, I don’t see a splash, and I don’t see any stains.

I do see a handful of servicemen positioned and acting as if they are urinating on dead enemy fighters, but I don’t actually see the act. They might be posing. Or the lack of clarity might be due to a poor YouTube transmission. For all that has been written on the subject, no one seems to have made that observation.

Maybe it doesn’t matter. The terrorists who are our enemy are devoid of rationality, and they will treat a simulated act as they would the real thing. They are certifiable. They possess a mind-set that flew passenger airliners into commercial buildings and killed 3,000 innocent civilians. They beheaded Pennsylvania businessman Nick Berg in retribution for Abu Ghraib. And assassinated Dutch director Theo van Gogh for producing a film about the way in which women are subjugated in Islamic society.

Which is why our Marines in the video displayed a reprehensible lack of professionalism. Surely they should have known that acting in this manner would provide fodder for future acts of retribution against their brethren. Shame on them, therefore, for putting comrades in harm’s way. Moreover, why record it? Bad as it was to conduct (or simulate) the act, it was arguably worse to memorialize it — essentially ensuring that it would be circulated, weaken U.S. standing in the world, and put others at risk.

Everyone, it seems, has a reaction.

While running for president, Rick Perry said: “Obviously, 18-, 19-year-old kids make stupid mistakes all too often. And that’s what’s occurred here.” John McCain offered: “The Marine Corps prides itself that we don’t lower ourselves to the level of the enemy. So it makes me sad more than anything else, because . . . I can’t tell you how wonderful these people (Marines) are. And it hurts their reputation and their image.”

They’re both right. These were sophomoric acts committed by young men who should have known better, and their poor judgment will lessen U.S. prestige. That there is no excuse is a no-brainer. The more difficult question is: Why?

Sebastian Junger — who, with photographer Tim Hetherington, was responsible for “Restrepo,” the Academy Award-nominated documentary about the war in Afghanistan — offered an explanation that makes some sense. He wrote in the Washington Post:

“But of course they have dehumanized the enemy — otherwise they would have to face the enormous guilt and anguish of killing other human beings. Rather than demonstrate a callous disregard for the enemy, this awful incident might reveal something else: a desperate attempt by confused young men to convince themselves that they haven’t just committed their first murder — that they have simply shot some coyotes on the back 40.

“It doesn’t work, of course, but it gets them through the moment; it gets them through the rest of the patrol.“