Dead Tree Alert: The "Civil War" War

In my Culture Complex column this week, Matt Lauer puts on his Cronkite costume. What NBC's declaration of civil war vis-a-vis the fighting in Iraq means (that the momentum is against the White House in its Long War of Semantics) and doesn't mean (that the media has suddenly decided to brave up and call 'em like it sees 'em, even if that means being unpopular with the public).

Did a few thousand voters in Virginia and Montana turn the war into a civil war on NBC's air? Would NBC have made such a bold public decision if Karl Rove had led another secret army of "values" voters to give the GOP control of Congress again? And do you need me to answer that for you?