... but how could Dan Rather open his broadcast tonight with a headline of 'MUTINY' plastered across an American flag, offering as his lead story an unsubstantiated report that American troops may have refused orders deemed too dangerous?

Rather emphasized that nothing had been proven, and that so far this was merely a rumor.

So then how does it become the lead story on CBS?

Oh! Right ... it's CBS!

The essential point to note here is that the lead in was an excuse to continue the lie that U.S. troops have been complaining about mounting casualties and lack of necessary equipment. These are Kerry campaign allegations.

I belive the actual opening line began something like, 'Mutiny is supposed to be unthinkable in a time of war, but ...', [emphasis Rather's] the implication being that these are not normal times. The President must be responsible for causing mutiny even if it hasn't been proven to exist.

That's what really concerns me -- not whether it's true, but the way it's presented and why it's presented that way.

MORE: Here's an AP write-up on the story. And even more from Drudge.

It strikes me that this story is less about mutiny and conditions for troops in Iraq than about an isolated situation with his unit. There are a number of odd things in the Drudge piece, and this is a relatively small unit.

"I got a call from an officer in another unit early (Thursday) morning who told me that my husband and his platoon had been arrested on a bogus charge because they refused to go on a suicide mission," said Jackie Butler of Jackson, wife of Sgt. Michael Butler, a 24-year reservist. "When my husband refuses to follow an order, it has to be something major."

I've got news for her: refusing orders is not a bogus charge, and every mission in the military is potentially a suicide mission. Depending on the circumstances refusal could have been much more costly to the lives of fellow soldiers relying on the fuel and water they deliver. In such a case selfishness fails to trump the safety of your fellow troops.

Imagine a house is burning and city firefighters refuse to take the call because this one sounds too dangerous, and the engines need an oil change. It wouldn't happen. You've got a job to do. It's dangerous. Suck it up.