THE "BACK OFF" THING: Today's AP has a headline that's a classic example of the misery of being a public official when the press has decided to get you. Answering a question about timetables for withdrawing from Iraq, Donald Rumseld said: "Now, you're looking for some sort of a guillotine to come flowing down if some date isn't met. That is not what this is about. This is complicated stuff. It's difficult. We're looking out into the future. No one can predict the future with absolute certainty. So you ought to just back off, take a look at it, relax, understand that it's complicated, it's difficult, that honorable people are working on these things together."

The AP headline? "Rumsfeld tells war critics to 'back off.'" Hmmm. And the Yahoo link carries of photo of Rummy stridently pointing his finger.

Fair? Hardly. Out of context? Absolutely. (Note my attempt at a Rumsfeldian cadence here.) Pleasing? Well...you bet.