Al Qaeda Planning Spectacular Attack in Iraq?

That's what CBS News reported during its evening broadcast:

Last week's mosque bombing in city of Samarra that brought Iraq to the brink of civil war was the work of terrorists, some U.S. officials have theorized. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi seems to be betting that another big bang would push the country over the brink, reports CBS News correspondent David Martin. The bomb in one of the holiest sites for Shiite Muslims set off violence all across the country that left hundreds dead.

The Iraqi government has banned all private vehicles in Baghdad during daylight hours Friday, the Muslim prayer day, just as it did last week. That kept car bombs, what the military cars vehicle-born improvised explosive devices, off the streets.

But Zarqawi just waited until the ban was lifted.

The terrorists know that bombs will get press. Lots of bombs will bring lots of press - all of it negatively affecting how the US perceives Iraq, the war, and prospects of peace in the region. They're playing the information war expertly, and when the media continually focuses solely on the bad news, the distortion of what is truly happening in Iraq is magnified.

UPDATE:
If you're looking for the section of text about the CBS interview of a jihadi, I've moved it to its own blog entry. It's certainly newsworthy to deserve its own entry.