In 2004 Rusmfield described Al Jazeera's Iraq war coverage "vicious, inaccurate and inexcusable." In 2003, a U.S. missile hit Al Jazeera's Baghdad offices, killing Al Jazeera correspondent Tariq Ayoub. (See Bombs and Threats to Bomb)
Both bombs and question of bomb moved to praise last week as Rumsfeld issued the following statement about the news organization:
"But now, as Al Jazeera has documented popular uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa, Rumsfeld says, "It's audience has grown and it can be an important means of communication in the world, and I am delighted you are doing what you are doing."
