What does the son of the leading Shiite politician in Iraq do when he's caught, slipping back across the border from Iran with his bodyguards and loads of weapons, especially when he behaves suspiciously and is arrested? What else, if he's a clever monkey?

He attacks U. S. troops for what he calls abuse.

"There is no excuse for what happened," he said. "It shouldn't happen to anyone in the future."

What a piece of bravado, especially since, when his identity was revealed, he was released and our ambassador to Iraq apologized for the incident.

He might have, with better judgment, thanked the Iraqi and American troops for doing their best to protect his country?

Yet, clever though he was, the question still lingers? What exactly was he doing in Iran?

As we sometimes say about Iraq and Iran, it's getting harder to Shia the difference.

About the Author

Tom Attea, humorist and creator of NewsLaugh.com, has had six shows produced Off-Broadway. Critics have called his writing "delightfully funny," "witty," with "good, genuine laughs" and "great humor and ebullience."