Commanche Company?

A Harrowing Day for G.I's in Iraq says the NYTimes.

BAQUBA, Iraq, June 25 — The enemy was a phantom who never showed his face but transformed a neighborhood into a network of houses rigged to explode.

And the soldiers from Comanche Company’s First Platoon confronted this elaborate and deadly trap.

But what drew me to this story was not the G.I.'s plight — that, unfortunately, is all too ordinary.

What struck me was the name Comanche Company. Isn't it the height of arrogance to co-opt for our imperial army (and yes, I use the term deliberately) the names of peoples we have already destroyed? Some day in the future, will we have an al Qaeda company?

Speaking of al Qaeda, have you noticed how now everybody we're fighting in Iraq is al Qaeda?

The platoon’s push began shortly after 4 a.m. on Saturday, as American forces continued their effort to wrest the western section of this city north of Baghdad from Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia.

All subtle distinctions gone. We're fighting al Qaeda. And every good citizen will believe it.