washingtonpost: Differences in Information in Shooting of Italian Journalist/Security

"The day after the shooting, a spokesman for the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division in Baghdad said the checkpoint was a temporary one and may have been difficult to see at night.
...
According to the Italian government's version of events, given earlier this week by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini, the Italians drove to the airport at a moderate speed of less than 40 mph because it was raining. During the drive Calipari had the light on in the car so he could make calls informing his superiors and U.S. military authorities of their travel to the airport, Italian officials said.
...
As the car emerged from a half-flooded underpass, it slowed down to make a sharp right around blocks of concrete, they said. Halfway through the turn, a sharp beam of light hit the car from some 30 yards away from the right side of the road. 'As the driver consequently put on the brakes, bringing the vehicle almost immediately to a halt, fire from probably two automatic weapons opened up and lasted approximately 10 to 15 seconds,' Fini told the Italian Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday. "

That's from the WashPost.

Associated Press had some coverage from Italy yesterday. The title makes it sound like a Human Interest piece: "Hostage's Joy Quickly Turned to Disaster". But the article is much scarier:

"Fini [Italian Foreigh Minister] says photos of the vehicle show the shots "reached the right side of the car," where both windows are shattered and bullet holes are visible.

RAI TV shows photos of the car, saying there's no evidence of bullet holes in the engine block. Sgrena says the fire was coming from "the right-hand side and from behind."

"It's not true that they shot into the engine," she says."

So the US story is nowhere confirmed. The car was not speeding, it did not refuse to stop, the US checkpoint did not shoot into the engine.

And about that checkpoint, from CNN:

"The fact that shooting apparently occurred at curve in the road raises questions about visibility -- from the perspective of both the temporary checkpoint and from the car, the official said on Friday."

This is not going to go away, not like Gannongate. Bubba Bush has lost a toehold in old Europe.