Cursor's Media Patrol - 02/24/06

As it's reported that "Violence spreads in Iraq as militia groups take to the streets," Juan Cole's read on an Al Hayat article is that "Astonishingly, Sistani seems to be threatening to deploy his own militia ... if the Iraqi government doesn't do a better job of protecting Shiites and their holy sites."

With 'Clerics' authority growing' -- "clerical leaders are notable for their lack of direct contact with Americans" -- Mark Engler asks, 'How Costly Is Too Costly?'

Paul Krugman finds "a kind of rough justice in Mr. Bush's current predicament," over a deal said to include not six but 21 U.S. ports.

FBI agents opposed "aggressive interrogation tactics" by U.S. military personnel at Guantanamo, but their protests were overridden by Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, according to documents released by the ACLU, one of which refers to DHS interrogators showing detainees homosexual porn movies and wrapping them in the Israeli flag.

"Vigilance is the watch-word now," says blogger and Republican, Gregory Djerejian, "not only re: our many enemies abroad, but also with regard to key administration actors ... Yoo. Addington. Haynes. Cheney. Rumsfeld. Gonzalez. Wrong on the law. Wrong on our values. Wrong for America."

After citing "a number of administration officials" for a story reporting that "Cheney was drunk when he gunned down his friend," Capitol Hill Blue's Doug Thompson maintains that "we don't have to make this stuff up."