The Sun ran some pictures of Saddam Hussein in his underwear and that seems to be causing a furor among journalists worldwide. I don't know that real people particularly care about Saddam sans pants, but the media thinks it is a big deal. Then again, since we all take our cues from the media and form no intelligent thoughts of our own, I suppose maybe it is a big deal .

The most interesting thing I have read was from Al Jazeera, that bastion of fair and balanced news in the Middle East. Jihad Ballout, a spokesman for the Al-Jazeera network, said his network did not show the pictures because it had ethical and professional concerns. "The photo is demeaning to Iraqis," he said, adding that "from the professional side, it is not news.

"Seriously? I mean, seriously??? Al Jazeera has "ethical and professional concerns?" Al Jazeera has "ethical and professional concerns" articulated by a man named Jihad? At the risk of repeating myself, SERIOUSLY??? So there are no ethical concerns in showing dead American soldiers, or the beheading of businessmen and civilians, but pictures of Saddam in his whitey tighties are demeaning?

Come on people! This from the go- to network for kidnappers with black hoods over their faces saying "we're going to kill this person if U.S. forces are not completely out of Iraq in 3 hours." Apparently, it it isn't demeaning to the average Iraqi that Western attitudes about them are being formed based on the actions of a bunch of terrorists, many of whom snuck in over the border and aren't Iraqi at all. Apparently, it isn't demeaning to Iraqis that they are being judged on the actions of terrorists who want to make a statement about bigger things than the hellhole of a country they live in or the average citizen's quality of life. Apparently, it isn't demeaning to Iraqis to keen over the lost dignity of a mass murderer who killed thousands of his own people.

Why don't we ask Iraqis what they find more demeaning, Saddam in his undies or Saddam in power with their men in prison or dead and their women hauled off to the rape rooms? Doesn't seem like a hard choice to me.