First-Name Basis

Mr. W. sent me this story in the NYT to ask why we're constantly being told that Iraq is a distraction from the real war on terror and then in the next breath given the al-Qaeda casualty list in Iraq. Good point, but what caught my attention is the dropping of the "al" in front of "Qaeda" in the headline. Look who's all chummy and one-name only all of a sudden. I'm telling you, it all makes sense.