The local Fox affiliate, WXXA Channel 23, this morning graciously invited me on for a live on air interview for an Iraqi Veterans perspective on the recent midterm elections and current events in Iraq.

The interview is posted online at the Daybreak website.

I didn’t manage to squeeze in my speculation that yesterday’s kidnapping might represent a new and creative development in the ongoing Media War waged by Al Qaeda, their sponsors and supporters, in and out of Iraq. Daily car bombs become routine, and generate less and less media attention. (Especially now that near term political objectives have been achieved, look for more attention in advance of the 2008 Presidential elections.)

Unless insurgents can keep up a high enough level of violence directed at US forces to reach some “highest level since XXX,” US body counts fade into the background for public relations (PR) purposes.

But I did frame my response in terms of the Media War, which Al Qaeda and their sponsors think has gone rather well for them, in terms of manipulating western mainstream media (MSM). I view these kinds of appearances as offensive operations in the Media War; I’ll leave viewers to decide how effective they prove.

UPDATE: Carl, a commenter here, suggests Iraqi Interior Ministry and criminal origins that, frankly, sounds more plausible than my speculations.