You'll Never Guess What Kind of Information the BBC Wanted From Its Iraq Audience

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

"Culture of Bias"

Just one day after an independent report accused the British Broadcasting Company of having a "culture of bias" — the BBC's Web site carried a request for people in Iraq to report troop movements to the network.

The Daily Telegraph writes the request was up for about two hours before furious protests prompted its removal.

The BBC confirms the page read — "Are you in Iraq? Have you seen any troop movements? If you have any information you would like to share with the BBC, you can do so using the form below."

The BBC acknowledged the page should not have been published — but couldn't say why the notice was posted — or if there had been any responses.

Election Reaction "Criminal"

Jimmy Carter says the Bush administration's refusal to accept last year's Palestinian election victory by Hamas is "criminal."

Mr. Carter told a human rights conference in Ireland that the U.S., Israel and the European Union are trying to divide the Palestinian people by restoring aid to President Mahmoud Abbas's new government in the West Bank — while denying support to the Hamas government in Gaza.

He says last year's vote was "orderly and fair" and that Hamas has proven to be far more organized politically and militarily. Mr. Carter says the U.S. its allies have sought to subvert the outcome of the elections by shunning Hamas and helping Abbas stay in power.

Letters of Support

During a rally in support of the Senate's immigration bill last Thursday — Senators Ted Kennedy, Mel Martinez and others frequently referred to a large stack of boxes they said contained a million letters of support for immigration reform.

But Roll Call Newspaper reports one of its photographers checked the boxes and found they were empty. And a spokesman for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus —which helped coordinate the event — confirms that is true.

Carlos Sanchez says actually bringing 310 boxes full of letters would have presented a security headache in a box-spooked world.

Annulment Reversed

And the Vatican has reversed its annulment of the marriage between former Democratic Congressman Joseph Kennedy II and first wife Sheila Rauch.

TIME Magazine reports Rauch only recently learned of the decision —which effectively reinstates their marriage in the eyes of the Catholic Church.

She had charged that the annulment was dishonest and only given to Kennedy because of his family's influence.

The couple divorced in 1991, and Kennedy married his second wife in a civil ceremony in 1993.
But he had sought the annulment in order to be married by a priest and continue receiving church sacraments.

TIME reports that the controversy surrounding the annulment may have contributed to Kennedy's decision in 1998 not to seek reelection.

—FOX News Channel's Martin Hill contributed to this report.