About this Italian reporter. The best proof, by far, that the US was not targeting her as a matter of policy or by mistake is that she is still alive. If the mens rea was there the Americans would have A) put a lot more holes in that car (though still probably not the “rain of fire” she complained about) and B) they would have finished the job, if for no other reason than the best way to have your policy of executing journalists exposed is let a big-mouthed one who sympathizes with the enemy — i.e. her kidnappers — get away wounded.

Again, it’s awful that an intelligence agent from such a loyal allied nation was killed by friendly fire. But I have hard time believing there isn’t quite a bit of opportunism in the waves of outrage among anti-war Communists in Italy who normally do not grieve over spies killed in the line of duty.