Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Here, (thanks to Holden at First Draft)is Giulian Sgrena's version of what happened on the road to the Baghdad airport. Her report on the incident itself speaks volumes:

The driver started to yell that we were Italians, "We are Italians. We are Italians..." Nicola Calipari threw himself upon me to protect me and immediately, I repeat, immediately, I felt his last breath as he died on me. I must have felt physical pain, I didn't know why. But I had a flash. My mind went straight to the words my kidnappers had pronounced. They had declared they were committed to letting me free but I had to be wary "because there are the Americans that don't want your return". Then, when they had told me that, I had judged those words as superfluous and ideological. In that moment they risked giving me the taste of the bitterest of truths.

The rest I still cannot tell.

This is clearly becoming an international incident, perhaps the first serious one this Administration has faced. It would seem that, while this Administration cares not two pins for the United Nations, it doesn't want to anger an ally.

In an indication of the political sensitivities here, several Bush administration officials have called the Italian authorities to express their condolences regarding Mr. Calipari's death, and these included a call from Mr. Bush to Mr. Berlusconi on Friday.

A Pentagon spokesman said on Sunday that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld had called his Italian counterpart, Defense Minister Antonio Martino, over the weekend to express his condolences. The Italian Defense Ministry said Mr. Rumsfeld had expressed "the sorrow of the American administration, and his own personal sorrow for the death of Nicola Calipari."

The Pentagon has pledged a thorough investigation of the shooting.

And here's why:

Sergio Romano, a former Italian ambassador to NATO and columnist with the influential newspaper Corriere della Sera, said the episode might nonetheless harden the desire for Mr. Berlusconi to move slowly toward a concrete withdrawal plan, especially given that Italy holds general elections in the spring of 2006.

"I think Berlusconi would want to have begun the withdrawal, at least, if not completed it," by the elections, Mr. Romano said.

No confirmation in this about the 300-400 bullets being fired on the vehicle, but that kind of specificity won't be available this soon. This looks like it will heat up, and won't go away because of "a few bad apples." If the Administration takes that route, it inflames the American people. But if it satisfies Italians, it has to admit responsibility.

For the first time ever.