The Command Post has an excellent roundup of stories on Pat Tillman's life, and the decision he made to lay it down for us instead of continuing to play football. There are pictures of him in both uniforms he wore, and at the end an appeal by those who are campaigning to have the number 40 retired permanently in his honor.

Apparently, the comments about Tillman became so disrespectful and inappropriate that for the first time in its history TCP was obliged to shut down the comments entirely. This incident proved the breaking point, and Alan and Michele have a new commenting policy, hinging on the words "respectability and civility."

And don't forget the piece Peggy Noonan wrote at the time Tillman made his extraordinary decision. I remember thinking then that he was one of a new breed in this country I wasn't even sure--in my darker moments--we deserved. Now I know we do.

Many have pointed out that Tillman gave up no more or less than the hundreds of other young men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country. And I think we all know human life is far more important than any dollar amount.

But Tillman bucked the tide to do what he felt was right. At that young age he already felt America had done so much for him that he needed to "pay it back." He was smarter and wiser than I am at almost twice his age, and I'll spend the rest of my life working to justify by my deeds the sacrifices these kids have made for our freedom.

Feeling weepy; gotta go.

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Pat Tillman, the former Arizona Cardinal who turned down an NFL contract to join the Army Rangers, was killed in Afghanistan, hunting for Osama bin Laden with the Army Special Forces.

Previously, he was stationed with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in southern Iraq.

What a man. Pray for him.

Via I Love Jet Noise.

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. . . which is hard to write about because the details are still so sketchy. UPI's also got it:

BEIRUT, Lebanon, April 16 (UPI) -- Al-Qaida planned to attack Jordan's intelligence headquarters in Amman with chemical weapons and the U.S. embassy with poisonous gas, reports said.

The Saudi daily al-Hayat, monitored in Beirut, Friday quoted official Jordanian sources as saying al-Qaida operative Abu Misaab al-Zirqawi, a Jordanian, sought to destroy the intelligence building with "a highly-destructive" chemical bomb that would have killed as many as 20,000 people.

The sources said Jordanian security arrested two al-Qaida members connected to al-Zirqawi and confiscated a car laden with explosives and arms which was smuggled into Jordan through the Syrian border.

The car, intercepted some 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the Syrian border, carried explosives, a chemical bomb and poisonous gas.

The sources said the terrorists planned to use the gas in attacks against the U.S. embassy in Amman and the seat of the Jordanian government.

Al-Zirqawi, who is wanted by Washington and the Jordanian authorities, is believed to be operating in Iraq.

The Jordanian king, according to some reports I've read, confirms that the chemical agents were from Syria, but that he's sure the Syrian premier didn't know this. Hm.

As the story becomes more widespread, you and your liberal friends might just swap places. Instead of them hissing the acronym "WMD!" at you, it could be you dropping the phrase "weapons of mass destruction" into the conversation now and again, here and there--and watching them blush.

Their whole theme song lately has been based on a supposition that is likely to be proven false.

Of course, we're all still waiting to see how this chemical agent could have killed 20,000 people, but they say we'll get more data over the course of the week.

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