Bloomberg's defense came just hours before the teacher who supervised the project, Alex Kunhardt, offered a full public apology to Pfc. Rob Jacobs, who received the toxic diatribes last month while awaiting deployment in South Korea.

"I deeply regret that any letters from my class offended anyone in our military," Kunhardt said late yesterday. "The responsibility for this action is mine alone, and I apologize."

In a story first reported by the New York Post on Monday, Kunhardt's students sent Pfc. Jacobs 21 missives, 15 of which contained criticism of the Iraq war, the troops or President Bush.

"I'm concerned that George W. Bush is president for another four years, because he doesn't want to get the troops out, so you might end up staying longer," wrote one pint-sized war protester, according to the Post.

Others accused Jacobs' colleagues of "killing innocent people" and "destroying holy places like mosques."

Bloomberg argued that the GIs would actually appreciate the derogatory screeds, explaining, "Most of them believe that the freedoms that we have, like the freedoms to write critical letters, are protected by them putting their lives at risk."

For his part, Jacobs' father, Robert, said he was satisfied with Kunhardt's apology, but that the mayor's comments left a lot to be desired.

Appearing on "Fox and Friends" Wednesday morning, Jacobs Sr. said, "Unfortunately, it looks like, for the mayor, political expediency."

He said Bloomberg appeared to be siding with the parents of Kunhardt's students, who will vote in his re-election bid later this year, instead of his son, "a kid from New Jersey [stationed] on the other side of the world."

Editor's note: