February 4, 2006 -- Why did the Bush administration need to insert itself into the increasingly violent worldwide protests by Muslims upset by the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed? And, having chosen to issue an opinion, why did the administration take a position that is, frankly, shameful and wholly antithetical to the basic freedoms that Americans hold dear? Even as European and Asian leaders appealed for calm and understanding in the wake of escalating violence, the State Department yesterday came out foursquare in support of the demonstrators — and condemned the "offensive" cartoons. "These cartoons are indeed offensive...