"Write what you like; there is no other rule"

YOU ARE VISITING THE OLD MALKIN(S)WATCH. THAT'S FANTASTIC. PLEASE VISIT THE NEW MALKIN(S)WATCH WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE.

Malkin unleashes a hail of posts upon Giuliana Sgrena. I'm not altogether sure why Malkin is so obsessed with Sgrena, but I think a hint may be found in the title of her latest column: "The Ransom of the Red Reporter."

Been missing that communist menace, eh, Michelle? The inspiration of Ronald Reagan's anti-Soviet posturing receding in the distance?

That said, I, too, feel squeamish about the idea of paying ransoms, but Malkin doesn't even establish that this is what happened. In a breathtaking sequence which proves only that nobody knows anything, she writes:

Iraqi politician Younadem Kana told Belgian state TV that he had "non-official" information that Italy paid the terrorists $1 million in tribute. The Washington Times, citing the Italian newspaper La Stampa, pinned the ransom figure at $6 million. Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that the Italian Government forked over between $10 million $13.4 million to free Sgrena.

Never one to let a dispute over facts get in her way, she lets us know exactly how she feels about ransoms...

Whatever the final tally, it's a whopping bounty that will undoubtedly come in handy for cash-hungry killers in need of spiffy new rocket-propelled grenade launchers, AK-47s, mortars, landmines, components for vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, and recruitment fees.

...before adding this little tidbit:

Both the Italian government and members of the Iraq Islamic Army who abducted Sgrena vehemently deny that money was exchanged.

Look, even assuming that a ransom was paid, which seems the most likely, it's impossible to take Malkin seriously on the subject. From denying she was kidnapped in the first place, to taking the opportunity to take another crack at Eason Jordan, to calling her incoherent based on a shoddy translation, Malkin is all over the dartboard as usual - which doesn't stop Time's blog of the year - excuse me, my mistake - from comparing her writing to O. Henry's.

Seriously. Well, to be fair, she started it.