Tillman Watch

MANIFESTO

Like I said—a freakin' hydra. (By the way, this gets my vote for the story that'll be prominent today on most news outlets.)

Army medical examiners were suspicious about the close proximity of the three bullet holes in Pat Tillman's forehead and tried without success to get authorities to investigate whether the former NFL player's death amounted to a crime ...

The Pentagon and the Bush administration have been criticized in recent months for lying about the circumstances of Tillman's death. The military initially told the public and the Tillman family that he had been killed by enemy fire. Only weeks later did the Pentagon acknowledge he was gunned down by fellow Rangers.

With questions lingering about how high in the Bush administration the deception reached, Congress is preparing for yet another hearing next week.

The Pentagon is separately preparing a new round of punishments, including a stinging demotion of retired Lt. Gen. Philip R. Kensinger Jr., 60, according to military officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the punishments under consideration have not been made public.

This whole incident, which was obviously used as a way to promote the sanctity of the Iraq invasion, is yet another PR attempt that's blown up in the Bushies' faces. God, what a dastardly, but utterly incompetent, crew they are.

UPDATE — As it turned out, this wasn't the big story of the day. Who could've predicted drunk astronauts?