The Iraqi Interior Ministry claims, on the one hand, that the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq was injured during the course of a firefight with Iraqi police.  U.S. military sources subsequently deny that report.  Nobody's denying that Abu Ayyub al-Masri's deputies, one Abu Abdullah al-Mujamie, was killed during the exchange, however.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…U.S. military officials said in a statement that Iraqi forces raided the Barantha Mosque in north-central Baghdad because they suspected it was "used as a place to conduct sectarian violence against Iraqi civilians as well as a safe haven and weapons storage area for illegal militia groups." The officials said they confiscated three heavy machine guns and 80 assault rifles.  Naturally, Muslims are outraged:

"They insulted the mosque and they did not inform the Iraqi government of the operation," he said. "We had an agreement with the government. They should tell us before doing such a thing."

Yes, the feds have been conducting raids, and finding a lot of illegal aliens, and deporting them.  This is unfair, and it needs to stop, and if it doesn't, then by golly, immigrant advocates and some religious leaders are going to offer sanctuary to these hard-working folks who are only here to do the jobs that Americans won't do.

In Seattle, they called a news conference to denounce a recent raid on a Federal Express facility in which over 50 suspected illegals were rounded up.  Well, that's clearly outrageous behavior on the part of the Feds.  After all, Americans aren't willing to do these jobs - remember?  No American would stoop to working for Federal Express.  Americans won't do carpentry, either.  They won't do plumbing, or painting, or concrete work.  Fact of the matter is, Americans won't do any work at all.

While AlGore flies around on private jets trying to scare you to death, yet another late-breaking study indicates a problem in the hysteria.  That's okay; it's only data.  Nothing to see, here, folks; move along.  As they say over at The Oregonian…never let a few facts stand in the way of a good story.