Michelle Malkin comments on yesterday's atrocity in Iraq, in which a civilian helicoptor was shot down, and then a survivor murdered.

The Islamic Army in Iraq has claimed responsibility and posted video it claims is of the wreckage. Shocking footage of the terrorists shows them discovering a survivor of the crash (whom analysts say is one of the Bulgarians); helping him to his feet; and then shooting and murdering him.

Let us take a survey of how the MSM describes those who perpetrated this atrocity:

The New York Times, "A Private Copter Crashes in Iraq; 6 Americans Die"

Eleven people, including six Americans from the security firm Blackwater USA working for the United States military, were killed Thursday when a commercial helicopter crashed near the capital, according to officials from Blackwater and the company that chartered the aircraft.

Several officials said the helicopter appeared to have been brought down by hostile fire but there was no official confirmation of the cause of the crash.

The Washington Post, "Insurgents Down Civilian Helicopter Near Iraqi Capital"

Insurgents shot down a helicopter with a heat-seeking missile north of the Iraqi capital Thursday, killing all six American security contractors and five others on board, according to U.S. officials and insurgents.

The attack marked the first time in the two years of the U.S.-led occupation that fighters in Iraq have succeeded in bringing down an aircraft contracted for transporting civilians. Planes and helicopters are being used increasingly around the country as attacks make road travel on vital routes deadly for Iraqis and foreigners alike.

Reuters, "Commercial Helicopter Shot Down in Iraq, 11 Dead"

Guerrillas shot down a Bulgarian commercial helicopter in Iraq Thursday, killing all 11 on board including six Americans, as hopes of forming a new government were dashed by last-minute disagreements.

Times (UK) "11 killed as guerillas shoot down helicopter"

GUERRILLAS killed 11 international workers in Iraq yesterday when they shot down a civilian helicopter 20 miles north of Baghdad.

Six American contractors working for the Blackwater security company, two Fijians and three Bulgarian crew died after their Mi-8 helicopter was apparently struck by a missile.

The Islamic Army in Iraq, a militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack. If confirmed, it would be the first shooting-down of a civilian aircraft in Iraq.

So we have the usual suspects: "insurgents", "guerillas", "militants", "rebels", and of course, the Gray Lady refuses to say the helicopter was shot down at all, though admitting that "hostile fire" alegedly brought down the aircraft.

Now my question is this: had this attack taken place at any other time in history, in any other place - especially right here in the US - by adherents of any other ideology, how would it have been covered? Just as a reminder, let's take a look at some commonly accepted definitions of terrorism:

Dictionary.com aggregates several definitions, as summarized by this one from the American Heritage Dictionary:

The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.

The Council on Foreign Relations gives the following criteria:

In another useful attempt to produce a definition, Paul Pillar, a former deputy chief of the CIA's Counterterrorist Center, argues that there are four key elements of terrorism:

1. It is premeditated—planned in advance, rather than an impulsive act of rage.
2. It is political—not criminal, like the violence that groups such as the mafia use to get money, but designed to change the existing political order.
3. It is aimed at civilians—not at military targets or combat-ready troops.
4. It is carried out by subnational groups—not by the army of a country.

Clearly, yesterday's attack meets both the dictionary definition of as well as the criteria for classification as terrorism. Yet the MSM, once again blinded by their own ideology, will fail to report this attack accurately as an act of terrorism (as with all the other acts of terrorism carried out in Iraq). The MSM have no problem referring to the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing a terrorist attack, especially, as exemplified by ABC, when such attacks can be labeled as "right-wing".

And as the MSM continue to refuse to separate themselves from their own ideology, they continue to separate themselves from all remnants of relevance and usefulness in a post-9/11 world.