U.S. Tried to Bully the U.N.?

And now some fresh pickings from the wartime grapevine...

Insurgents Captured or Killed

Amid criticism that coalition forces let Iraqi insurgents get away in Fallujah, a top Marine colonel there says that of 28 Iraqis identified as leading anti-coalition operations, 27 were captured or killed by Marines.

Col. John Coleman says Marines could have easily crushed the insurgency months ago, but that would "rubble the city" and make their work harder. So, instead, Marines offered unemployed Iraqis meaningful work securing their city.

And, Coleman tells The Wall Street Journal, within days 900 Iraqi men had signed up for "the Fallujah Brigade," which now patrols the streets of Fallujah and acts as a liaison between the coalition and local religious leaders.

U.S. Tried to Bully the U.N.?

Weekend media reports accused the U.S. of trying to bully the U.N. into accepting its choice for Iraqi president — Governing Council member Adnan Pachachi.

London's Independent said "Bremer threatens to veto Iraqis' choice of president." One Arab Newspaper said "U.S. throws dark horse in race for Iraqi presidency." And Reuters went so far this morning as to report Pachachi had actually been appointed president.

Problem is, shortly after that, Pachachi withdrew his candidacy, and — as we reported earlier — the job went to another council member, Ghazi Yawar.

Journalists Indulging Their Emotions?

British writer John Keegan, perhaps the greatest living war historian, says journalists covering the war in Iraq "have a duty to stop indulging their emotions and start remembering [that insurgency] ... is a regrettable but not wholly to-be-unexpected outcome of ... overthrow[ing] a dangerous Third World dictator."

Keegan, writing in London's Telegraph, says "The British and American media retail with evident satisfaction every scrap of information that implicates [their] service people in wrongdoing. ... If those who show themselves so eager to denounce the American president and the British prime minister feel strongly enough on the issue, please will they explain their reasons for wishing that Saddam Hussein should still be in power."

Slavery to Blame?

A lawyer in Portland, Ore. insists his African-American client, Ryshawn Bynum, was justified in beating his two-year-old son to death because centuries ago slaveholders beat their African-American slaves... and African-Americans now suffer from "multi-generational trauma."

The theory is based on work by Portland State University assistant professor Joy DeGruy-Leary, who says some African Americans today wouldn't be so violent or aggressive if slaves had been treated for the trauma of seeing relatives whipped, raped and killed.

But, according to The Oregonian, a judge has said that until science can back it up, the lawyer's argument is unacceptable for a court of law.

— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report