Which side are they on? The New York Times settles the question definitively with a hysterical, unreality-based lead editorial today recycling the BDS attacks on the War on Terror–but even more so with this disgusting pictorial tribute to Iraqi terrorists killing American soldiers, spotted by the vigilant Charles Johnson at LGF. The picture featured by the Times is just one of many being hawked here as a photo compilation titled “In the Company of God by award-winning New York Times photographer, Joao Silva.” A sample:

Jeff Goldstein comments on the NYTimes’ self-congratulatory smugness:

Writes Times assistant managing editor for photography Michele McNally of a photo taken by NYT photographer Joao Silva showing an al-Sadr army sniper in the act of firing on US troops, “Right there with the Mahdi army. Incredible courage.”

Incredible courage? Well, far be it for me to question such self-congratulatory enthusiasm, but it seems to me that actual “incredible courage” would have entailed, say, Joao Silva getting word to US troops, or bumrushing the sniper and beating him unconscious with a heavy telephoto lens.

Whereas what we’ve witnessed here is the product of (admittedly) dangerous opportunism in the service of plaudits and cocktail party invites.

But then, I’m still into the whole bourgeois nationalism thing.

John Hinderaker at Power Line: “It would have required courage to hang out with the Mahdi Army, if there were any likelihood that a member of the Iraqi “insurgency” would regard a representative of the New York Times as an enemy.”

Lucianne.com commenters: The NYTimes has jumped the shark.

No, they’ve just come out of the closet.

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While we’re on the subject of MSM photographers with extraordinary access to terrorists, there is still no word on the whereabouts of AP photographer Bilal Hussein.

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Bill Smith solves the NYTimes mystery at Real Clear Politics: It’s all Rove’s fault!

Patterico is reminded of Bill Keller’s quote:

I am reminded of what Bill Keller said:

I guess I would say if you’re under the impression that the press is neutral in this war on terror, or that we’re agnostic — and you could get that impression from some of the criticism — that couldn’t be more wrong.

As I said to the guys on Pundit Review Radio: you notice he didn’t say which side he’s on.