Apparently no statistics are kept about killings at checkpoints in Iraq, although these are very common. The only relatively unusual thing about this one is that it involved non-Iraqis.

The suggestion that someone sitting in the backseat of a car cannot have any awareness of the speed of the vehicle is a bit strange. If Ms. Sgrena says they were travelling at 25 to 30 miles an hour, that seems pretty likely to have been the case. Especially since that is what the driver apparently says as well.

I doubt if an internal invesigation by the US authorities will be seen as adequate by the Italians. If Bush has any sense he'll ensure that full cooperation is given to a thorough independent investigation. But I doubt if that will be allowed.