Who Were Those Masked Men?

      For once, a story that demands no smart aleck remark, no prurient punning, no extended explanation, earnest or otherwise.   No, this story simply demands two reactions: a rousing BOO-YAH! and a hearty round of applause.   In fact, here, my friends, is the Quote Of The Week:

“We swear to Allah that we have started preparing ... to capture him and his allies or kill them and present them as gift to our people,” the man said. “This is the last warning. If you don't stop, we will do to you what the coalition forces have failed to do.”

This is endlessly encouraging for those of us trying to spot a ray of moral optimism in the Iraqi quagmire.   Finally, it seems, a declaration that enough is enough.   The Yanks, however, now have to tread very lightly, for I suspect this message a signal to them, too, the defference being, though, that the Yanks are still being cut some slack.   This is the sort of "We're mad as hell and we're not gonna take it anymore" spine Iraq really needs right now-- to determine that it will stand on its own, and that it won't brook any longer being used as the name in which atrocities will be committed.