The media is reporting what the US Army claims, that after a several-hour firefight, Saddam Hussein’s two eldest sons were killed. Do we have reason to doubt their claims?

I don’t know. What kind of tip caused the Army to raid the building they did? What kind of medical and dental records have they used to identify the bodies? And as for the former Ba’ath party officials who supposedly identified the men, are they Saddam loyalists covering up for dead doubles, or could they possibly not be able to tell?

If these men are dead, that’s probably good for the war effort. It would have been nice to try them, but that would have been very difficult without loss of further American life, which of course we want to avoid. But could this be another of Saddam’s games? It is possible. It’s awfully convenient that a tip would end up with numbers 2 and 3 on the Iraq most wanted list sitting ina building in the middle of Iraq.

I know everyone else is reporting the deaths as fact, but I’m going to continue to have lingering doubts until we get more information on just how we’re so sure these guys are those guys. And no, Fox News, those big bloody pictures on your homepage aren’t helping.