Cursor's Media Patrol - 02/28/06

"U.S. soldiers overwhelmingly want out of Iraq -- and soon," writes Nicholas Kristof, citing numbers from a Zogby poll, which also found that 85 percent of U.S. troops serving in Iraq believe that their mission is mainly "to retaliate for Saddam's role in the 9-11 attacks."

Commenting on the 'Death of a professor,' Iraqi-born novelist and former political prisoner Haifa Zangana describes "a systematic campaign to assassinate Iraqis who speak out against the occupation."

Robert Parry finds "the U.S. news media ... experiencing a cognitive meltdown as it tries to hold onto the traditional view of the United States as a beacon for human rights while facing the new reality in which George W. Bush has plunged the nation."

A Washington Post article is said to offer "more or less conclusive evidence" that an IRS audit of Texans for Public Justice was "a political hit," and a Washingtonian editor contends that the "level of villainy" ascribed to Jack Abramoff "is a little excessive."

As jurors learn about "different ways money was found at Enron" -- but not about the 'Real Rip-Off' -- defendant Ken Lay is found to be down to his last $650,000.