Orlando, Fla. ? Pat Tillman would have hated this. Turn on the radio, and he’s a hero being used to promote the war.

Pick up a newspaper, and he’s the latest reason to debate whether we should be fighting. Go to the Internet, and he’s a murderer who died in vain for American imperialism.

Log on to eBay, and you can bid on one of his NFL towels from 1998. Can an authentic game-worn chinstrap be far behind?

Enough already.

It’s one thing to pay tribute to Tillman. There are not enough words to say in his honor. We can’t leave it at that, of course.

Almost a week after his death in Afghanistan, Tillman has become a commercial enterprise and a propaganda tool for whatever cause you fancy. Pro war? He’s your man. Anti-war? Look no further.

The irony is the one thing Tillman never wanted was attention. There wasn’t a news conference when he walked away from NFL riches to become an Army Ranger. When his long hair became a crew cut at basic training, he wouldn’t allow any photographs.

The Army would have loved the publicity, but Tillman refused every interview. He didn’t want to stand out from the other volunteers who’d be risking their lives.

He wasn’t any better, but obviously his story was different. So when Tillman was killed in an ambush, the war suddenly had a face for many Americans. You can now buy it on a T-shirt.

There were 291 Pat Tillman items being auctioned on eBay on Wednesday afternoon. Trading cards, jerseys, pins. If you want to honor Tillman by sipping coffee from an American Hero mug, have at it. It’s just a little too Elvis for my taste.

You just know a movie of the week is in the pipeline. In death, Tillman can’t control the cameras, the interviews or the 24-hour cable blabberfests.

His plight has been used to condemn the Pentagon’s ban on flag-draped coffin photos. He’s proof the cost of war is too high. Except when he’s proof it’s a righteous cause worth dying for.

Tillman certainly didn’t seek star treatment. His family wouldn’t even release the name of the funeral home where his body was shipped from Dover Air Force Base. Judging from some commentary, however, you’d think it’s Tillman’s fault every soldier’s death isn’t on the cover of Newsweek.

If that bothers you, do not venture too far on to the Internet. Radical Islamic bulletin boards will inform you Tillman was “Killed in the Midst of His Crusade of Religious and Racial Hatred.”

We expected that, but it was truly sad when a U.S. Web site headlined its Tillman story “Dumb Jock Killed in Afghanistan.”

I’d print the Web address, but why give it more publicity? Your anger would only fuel the martyr complexes of the Web site’s devotees. Besides, Rush Limbaugh already turned his 20 million listeners loose on them.

Debating the war is appropriate, but it’s amazing how Tillman can be a rallying cry for every point of view. It’s safe to say he supported the war. It’s also safe to assume all this would have made him crazy.

Like almost all of us, he was stunned by what he saw on 9-11. Unlike most of us, he did something about it.

He simply wanted to be a soldier, not a lightning rod. He wanted to serve his country with dignity, not become the lead segment on Hannity & Colmes. Much less a bumper sticker on eBay.

The cash registers are starting to ring. The debate is starting to rage.

Somewhere, a fallen soldier just wants to rest in peace. Too bad we can’t let him.