Are the BBC biased? (no sniggering at the back there, please) Let me put the question another way. Is Mark Steyn a bit to the right of centre, in most people's opinion? Mmmm. Well, this article here by Paul Wood places the diametric opposite emphasis to Steyn's article I pointed out below. So if Steyn is right of centre, what's Wood?

Steyn says 'Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab League, issued a stern warning to the BBC: a US invasion of Iraq would "threaten the whole stability of the Middle East." As I wrote at the time, "He's missing the point: that's the reason it's such a great idea." '

Wood says 'America's Arab allies do not just feel angry. They feel wounded, humiliated and threatened.' - the poor darlings. Note that Wood does not blush when describing them as 'Allies', even though the Arab world has been unanimous in condemning the US policy in Iraq and over Israel.

The great strength of Steyn's analysis is that it doesn't idealise the Arab world. There is more nuance about Steyn's analysis, distinguishing Jordan from Egypt from Syria from Saudi, than there is in Wood's emotionalised bleating from frankly very imperfect origins.