Demagogue

Sorry, Arnold, but the U.S. media was only mildly interested in the recently released British memo on Iraq. Today the U.S. media devoted a lot of attention to a highly questionable assertion that happens to be coming from the same people who asked the British to participate in a big, fat lie -- the Pentagon.

On the surface, the Pentagon's latest claim seems only slightly more believable than its WMD assertions. And even if it is true, it's a small consolation to the Iraqi people. As CNN reports:

The U.S. military said Tuesday it has seized a letter from Iraqi insurgents believed to be intended for Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi complaining about low morale among followers and weakening support for the insurgency.

Hooray for our side! Those yellow ribbons on our cars must have had an impact.

But wait. CNN also adds:

The authenticity of the letter -- which the military said American troops found Thursday in a raid in Baghdad -- could not be independently verified.

The letter -- which never refers to al-Zarqawi by name -- is written to Sheik Abu Ahmad, a name not known to be used by the militant leader or his followers. But supporters often call al-Zarqawi the Sheik or Sheik Abu Musab in letters and on Web sites.

No independent verification? That's of no concern to the Bushies. They had no independent verification for their WMD claims either, but that didn't stop them from repeating those accusations again and again.

Oh, yeah, and the letter is addressed to a shiek by the name of "Abu Ahmad." Supporters sometimes call al-Zarqawi "the Sheik" so that means the Pentagon can assume that any letter addressed to a sheik must be destined for al-Zarqawi. After all, there are no other sheiks in Jordan.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the letter reflects "a certain amount of proof that [al-Zarqawi's] influence and effectiveness is deteriorating."

Yippee! Al-Zarqawi's cell is demoralized and fading away. Unfortunately, another cell of insurgents was rather busy today in Iraq.

According to CNN, terrorists connected with the Army of Ansar al-Sunna exploded bombs that killed about 70 people today in two separate incidents:

The blast Wednesday morning (in the city of Erbil) killed about 60 people and injured approximately 150 others ... Hours later, a car bomb detonated in southern Baghdad, killing nine Iraqi soldiers and wounding 17 others, including six soldiers, police said.

... The insurgent attack in Erbil appeared to be the worst in Iraq since last February when a suicide car bomb struck police recruits in Hilla -- south of Baghdad -- killing 125 people and wounding 150.

But never mind this bit of bad news. I'm sure the Iraqi people feel much safer today knowing that the people who blew up their relatives and neighbors belonged to a terrorist cell other than al-Zarqawi's.