Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf, who became famous around the world for his rosy
pronouncements when he served as Information Minister to Iraqi strongman Saddam
Hussein, staged a stunning political comeback today by being named the chief
spokesman for the Pentagon in Washington.

Mr. al-Sahaf, who made headlines as "Baghdad Bob" three years ago by repeatedly
proclaiming that the Iraqi army was demolishing invading U.S. forces, appeared
at a press briefing at the Pentagon this afternoon with a beaming Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who called the former Iraqi Information Minister "the
right man for the right job at the right time."

Explaining his decision to tap Mr. al-Sahaf as chief Pentagon spokesman,
Secretary Rumsfeld said, "I realized that our spokesmen have been trying to do
the same thing that Muhammed did three years ago, only they aren't as credible
as he was."

Stepping up to the microphone, an ebullient Mr. al-Sahaf said that conditions on
the ground in Iraq "have never been better" and that the insurgency was "all but
vanquished."

"Democracy is flowering in Iraq so fast you wouldn't believe it!" Mr. al-Sahaf
added. "People think the new constitution is awesome!"

When asked by a reporter about the burned-out cars that litter the streets of
Baghdad and other cities, Mr. al-Sahaf was unfazed, explaining, "Their engines
overheated." ......