Speaking from a castle, ironically, Bush and Blair announced formation of a new Arab TV station in Iraq, then within hours, Bush's soldiers bombed Al Jazeera to silence it. For those who doubt the intention, a US tank rolled up to the ruins of the Al Jazeera building one hour later and fired a shell into it, reports Robert Fisk. Al Jazeera posted their location in Baghdad to US military planners, who promised not to attack it--before the invasion began. The attack on the Hotel Palestine followed shortly.

Of course the US military likes to say that it stays out of politics. Gen. Ed Lansdale's presence in Dealey Plaza, plus the presence of the Army 113th Intelligence in Memphis for M. L. King's assassination, speak volumes otherwise. Has the "military-industrial complex" organized for an undeclared world war, a scheme to attack both Iran and Syria later as James Woolsey suggested in Los Angeles on April 3?

For a madman like Richard Perle to argue for the takeover of the MidEast and the expulsion of the Palestinians is one thing, but when even Clinton's former CIA chief argues the case for World War IV only a few years before oil production peaks--thus threatening Trilateral and Council on Foreign Affairs domination of corporate policy-making, a criminal round of attacks on an inquiring press must be looked at more closely.

Rather than trigger happy soldiers firing off a few rounds after weary hours of battle, the Al Jazeera attack appears to have been premeditated, a desperate act---not so much aimed at punishing reporters for what they've already done, but to intimidate them into not reporting events that are about to unfold.