A reason to get out -- or to dig in?

Page One - In the U.S., a rallying cry for hawks and doves

For some, the gruesome image of hooded murderers beheading an unarmed American civilian serves as a vivid reminder of why the nation is at war. For others, the same horrific picture demonstrates why the U.S. mission in Iraq is doomed to failure.

The grisly video, surfacing just as the world was absorbing pictures of Americans brutalizing Iraqi prisoners, provoked conflicting reactions. Some said it was precisely this sort of evil among Iraqi terrorists that prompted -- if not justified -- the abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison. Others said it was the abuse at the prison that perpetuated the evil.

Neither camp could claim a monopoly on outrage over the public slaughter of 26-year-old Nick Berg, nor could they predict how the gut-wrenching video would affect world opinion or American resolve. Yet many warned that the shocking images, along with the Abu Ghraib pictures, portend even more violence ahead.

After no weapons of mass destruction were discovered and efforts to bring about a democracy stumbled, "there was one thread left hanging," said Shibley Telhami, a Middle East expert at the Brookings Institution, "that at least we got rid of a ruthless dictatorship and its human rights abuses."

The pictures at Abu Ghraib "sever that thread in a way that is hard for anyone to get out of their minds. The images no doubt will play into the hands of the militants."

NYTimes - Islamist Terrorist Website Video and Statement

"The shameful photos are evil humiliation for Muslim men and women in the Abu Ghraib prison," the masked man says. "Where is the sense of honor, where is the rage? Where is the anger for God's religion? Where is the sense of veneration for Muslims, and where is the sense of vengeance for the honor of Muslim men and women in the Crusaders prisons?"

Then he addressed Mr. Bush.

"Regarding you, Bush, Dog of the West, we are giving you good news which will displease you," he said. "Your worst days are coming, with the help of God. You and your soldiers will regret the day when your feet touched the land of Iraq and showered your bravery on shelters of Muslims."

el - Bush and Osama seem to be getting what they wanted, a religious war.