Cursor's Media Patrol - 09/26/05

Leon Daniel, who covered the Vietnam War for UPI, weighs the cost of 'Saving America's Face' after its "grandiose misadventure fueled by the president's hubris."

Summarizing her second take on Iraq's draft constitution, Baghdad Burning's Riverbend asks: "federalism based on ethnicity and sect? Why not simply declare civil war and get it over with?"

'Heart of Darkness' A tour of a Web site, about which the press is said to be 'strangely silent,' leads Billmon to conclude that "we really do need to get the troops out of Iraq -- before hell is the consequence."

Juan Cole is now advocating withdrawal, citing a just-released Human Rights Watch report as further proof that U.S. troops are "being fatally brutalized by their own treatment of Iraqi prisoners." Plus: 'Did the press miss widespread prisoner abuse in Iraq?'

The Beaumont Enterprise reports that Hurricane Rita victims are suffering from "the same foot-dragging federal response" seen following Katrina, and that stories of "lessons learned" are "ringing hollow."

Asking 'How Many More Mike Browns Are Out There?', Time reports that "scientists' drug-safety decisions at the Food and Drug Administration are being second-guessed by a 33-year-old doctor turned stock picker."

Select This! Frank Rich's call to 'Bring Back Warren Harding' is liberated, as well as recent columns by Maureen Dowd and Thomas Friedman, discussed during their appearance on "Meet the Press." Plus: Times' ombudsman concedes that 'Even Geraldo deserves a fair shake.'