David Zucker’s new short takes a fair and balanced look at the Iraq Study Group:

While defending the Associated Press’s right to lie to its customers and spread enemy propaganda, John Cook at Radar Online takes a pathetic slap at me for something I didn’t write, about an event that happened today: Hawkish Blog Mum on AP Photog Murder.

I do thank Mr. Cook for linking to several posts at LGF about the AP’s disgraceful behavior. Readers who click through will discover that, unlike Cook’s inept smear job, the claims in my posts are actually backed up with evidence and arguments. Cook seems to believe that just pointing them out (“Look what Charles F. Johnson wrote! Isn’t he stupid?”) is enough to debunk them.

UPDATE at 12/12/06 2:05:34 pm:

Here’s another long-winded defense of the AP by Eric Boehlert, who is also completely unconcerned by the possibility that the AP is lying to its readers: Michelle Malkin fiddles while Baghdad burns. (Hat tip: Allahpundit.)

UPDATE at 12/12/06 5:27:55 pm:

Bob Owens replies to Boehlert: Confederate Yankee: Neck Deep.

Another good one from Mark Steyn: ISG must stand for, uh, Inane Strategy Guesswork.

So there you have it: an Iraq “Support Group” that brings together the Arab League, the European Union, Iran, Russia, China and the U.N. And with support like that who needs lack of support? It worked in Darfur, where the international community reached unanimous agreement on the urgent need to rent a zeppelin to fly over the beleaguered region trailing a big banner emblazoned “YOU’RE SCREWED.” For Dar4.1, they can just divert it to Baghdad.

Oh, but lest you think there are no minimum admission criteria to James Baker’s “Support Group,” relax, it’s a very restricted membership: Arabs, Persians, Chinese commies, French obstructionists, Russian assassination squads. But no Jews. Even though Israel is the only country to be required to make specific concessions — return the Golan Heights, etc. Indeed, insofar as this document has any novelty value, it’s in the Frankenstein-meets-the-Wolfman sense of a boffo convergence of hit franchises: a Vietnam bug-out, but with the Jews as the designated fall guys. Wow. That’s what Hollywood would call “high concept.”

Somehow, Doug Ross got his hands on the Associated Press cheat sheet, created to provide their professional on-the-spot journalists with guidance on how to describe problematic people and situations—the AP way.

(Reprinted with permission.)

(From Cox & Forkum.)

No surprises here; the Arab world sees the Iraq Study Group report as more evidence that America is exactly how Osama bin Laden described us: a paper tiger. Arabs say report shows Bush’s failure.

CAIRO, Egypt - Many Arabs on Thursday interpreted an American advisory panel’s bleak assessment of President Bush’s Iraq policies as proof of Washington’s failure in the Middle East.

But others worried about the consequences if the U.S. follows the Iraq Study Group’s suggestions, warning that the report could fuel insurgents and others vying to fill Iraq’s security vacuum.

“This report is a recognition of the limitation of American power,” said Abdel Moneim Said, head of Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic studies in Cairo. “In the short term, America will highly suffer the loss of its reputation and credibility in the region.” …

Mustafa Bakri, an outspoken critic of the U.S. and editor of the Egyptian tabloid Al-Osboa, told a state-run television show that the report indicated “the end of America.”

Bakri, who supports Syrian President Bashar Assad and the former regime of Saddam Hussein, urged Arab countries to “capture the moment as America now is in its weakest period.”

The Iraq Study Group’s report was the top headline in many Arab newspapers on Thursday, including the Egyptian opposition daily Al-Wafd, which declared: “Bush confesses defeat in Iraq.” The paper’s editor-in-chief, Anwar el-Hawari, predicted that at the very least, the Middle East will not hear from Bush for the coming 24 months.

“Practically, this means that this is the real end of Bush rule, his policies and the neo-conservative groups. This also means that the coming two years left in his term will be a period of a political vacuum,” he wrote.

Joseph Samaha, editor-in-chief of Lebanese opposition daily Al-Akhbar, said that, even before the study group’s report found shortcomings in the Bush administration’s Iraq policy, Arabs had already concluded that Iraq had turned into a “holocaust for American claims.”

But others warned that insurgents and countries including Iran were taking advantage of Bush’s failures and the spiraling violence, and their influence would increase if the U.S. leaves. “Al-Qaida must smell victory, but its a negative victory that comes from the defeat of America in Iraq,” Said of the Al-Ahram center said.

They dropped the mask long ago, but the Associated Press headline and first paragraph for their latest release on the Iraq Study Group report breaks new ground in blatant bias: Panel: Bush’s Iraq policies have failed.

WASHINGTON - President Bush’s war policies have failed in almost every regard, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group concluded Wednesday, and it warned of dwindling chances to change course before crisis turns to chaos.

The Truth Laid Bear has the Iraq Study Group document in linkable form. The sections dealing with Israel are especially troubling, but not surprising given Baker’s history. All these recommendations stem from a basis of complete fantasy, in which Israel’s Arab neighbors are genuinely interested in peace and all we have to do to get it is ask them the right way.

It proposes that Israel return the Golan Heights to Syria, and pull back to its 1967 borders.

RECOMMENDATION 16: In exchange for these actions and in the context of a full and secure peace agreement, the Israelis should return the Golan Heights, with a U.S. security guarantee for Israel that could include an international force on the border, including U.S. troops if requested by both parties.

RECOMMENDATION 17: Concerning the Palestinian issue, elements of that negotiated peace should include:

* Adherence to UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 and to the principle of land for peace, which are the only bases for achieving peace.

Yes, because that principle worked so well in Gaza.

* Strong support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority to take the lead in preparing the way for negotiations with Israel.

Yes, because Abu Mazen has shown such a terrific willingness to work for peace.

* A major effort to move from the current hostilities by consolidating the cease-fire reached between the Palestinians and the Israelis in November 2006.

That would be the completely bogus ceasefire.

* Support for a Palestinian national unity government.

That would be Hamas. The Iraq Study Group wants the US to support the radical Islamic terror group. Of course, they also say Syria should step in and help convince Hamas to give up their genocidal dreams.

And these guys are supposed to be “realists?”

The Iraq Study Group’s report is out: Iraq Study Group: United States Institute of Peace. As expected, it’s all about defeat and retreat.

It advocates “dialog” with our worst enemies, including the madman who, with exquisite timing, just told the West to convert or die.