The decision of Al Jazeera to broadcast that tape, allegedly of Saddam Hussein inciting his countrymen to kill Americans, is the most telling example yet of the real agenda of the independent Arabic network. There has been a lot of too-ing and fro-ing over whether the tape is genuine; the CIA says it is “most likely”really him, though it’s less clear as to when the tape was put together. Whether or not the tape turns out to be genuine, however, Al Jazeera’s intentions seem more clear. As remnants of Saddam’s Baath Party toasted the screen, Al Jazeera cast an eery shadow over a population already terrified of a possible return of Saddam. All indications are — and our friends among the democratic movement in Iraq concur — that Saddam is still alive and directing his remaining loyalists to attack American soldiers. Al Jazeera, already exposed as having been infiltrated by Iraqi intelligence under Saddam’s rule, is setting the lights at the horizon. As President Bush and his war planners wrestle with tactics and strategy for this new phase of the Battle of Iraq, the role of hostile broadcasts like Al Jazeera’s is something that will become an issue. We can imagine all the arguments on both sides. And we comprehend that times change. But it is hard to imagine something like this being tolerated during the chaos of, say, post-war Germany or Japan.