I’m watching this MSNBC rebroadcast of the 9/11 attack coverage. In one pretty jarring moment, Katie Couric cuts away to images of Palestinians cheering in the street, handing out candy and literally jumping for joy over the news that the World Trade Center was destroyed and then-untold thousands of Americans killed. Couric tried to provide context by explaining that the “U.S. government” is increasingly unpopular in the Palestinian territories. She repeatedly emphasized “the U.S. government.” Okay, fair enough. And if memory serves she wasn’t nearly as bad as Peter Jennings was in apologizing for Palestinian glee over American deaths. But Couric’s emphasis on the American government seemed to gloss over the fact that these joyful Palestinians weren’t celebrating an attack on the government but upon the American people. It is a cliche when making allowances for Arab anti-Americanism to say “they” don’t hate the American people, just American policies. It’s worth keeping in mind, that when put to the test, this distinction often evaporates amidst all of the celebrations over spilled American blood.