However, tonight’s Nightly News with Tom Brokaw story on the video’s authenticity was a brilliant piece of reverse propaganda posing as satire. In the segment the reporter demonstrated how green screening is used in television by showing how weather maps are displayed behind weather casters. Then humorously employing the technology to place himself in front of various world landmarks. He finished the piece with examples of using personal computers to accomplish the same effects.

And it got me thinking. There is a lot of footage of this guy floating around. Perhaps the United States should start producing its own videos of Dr. Heckle in various locations—strip clubs and the Statue of Liberty coming immediately to mind. They could even make him appear to call his followers stupid for thinking he would be caught dead in a Tora Bora cave at this time of year. Then they could drop the videos disguised as food parcels, sit back and wait. It’s not like his followers paid much attention to previous digital manipulations they encountered.

Besides, this might be a good way for Hollywood to help Henry Hyde with his patriotic interest in America’s image problem. But if they are too busy, maybe we should put crookDIMWIT’s inquisitive Abbie on the case.

On a somewhat related note, I want to extend my condolences to the people of Canada as well as my sympathies to the family’s of the soldiers killed today. These soldiers were the first casualties of war for Canada since the Korean War. Let’s hope they are the last.