Addendum

I should have mentioned in the last post the ejection of Al Jazeera from Iraq by the interim government. Reuters has this:

Iraq's interim government should immediately lift its ban on Qatar-based Al Jazeera satellite television network to show it respected press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Monday.

The interim government announced on Saturday that it had ordered Al Jazeera to close its Baghdad office for one month after finding it had "encouraged criminals and gangsters" in Iraq, a charge the channel denied...

...A State Department spokesman said on Monday that Washington had complained to the Qatar government through diplomatic channels that it believed Al Jazeera's coverage was inflammatory.

"We would also note that the insurgency and others have made it a habit of using the media to advance their agenda," spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters in Washington.

Areli added, "In taking this step, we're all trying to work to get the balance right, to get the balance between respecting the free and independent media and acting against insurgents and providing for security."

If indeed there were plans for a major, multipronged offensive using massive force, a la Fallujah, it would be in everyone's best interest if Al Jazeera was prevented from covering it, would it not?