Well, this is certainly embarrassing. The United States has apparently obtained the outtakes from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's latest video and, well, he comes across as just a little less than fearsome. For example, he apparently has trouble figuring out how to operate a machine gun until one of his underlings finally shows him. Later one of his underlings grabs the barrel of a machine gun that has just been fired and burns his hand. And in another scene, Zarqawi--who has condemned all things American--is seen wearing a pair of New Balance sneakers.

So yeah, on the surface all that stuff seems embarassing. In fact, an American General held a news conference to point all those things out. And yes, Zarqawi does end up looking like quite an idiot. On the other hand, if he really is such a fool, what does that say about the Americans who can't catch him?

Speaking of videos, here's a fascinating interview with some insurgents who continue to fight on my behalf. I get all misty-eyed whenever I watch it.