Time's issue includes an unenthralled essay by NBC's Brian Williams, who believes that raptures over the Web's egalitarianism arise from the same impulse that causes today's youth soccer programs to award trophies — "entire bedrooms full" — to any child who shows up: "The danger just might be that we miss the next great book or the next great idea, or that we will fail to meet the next great challenge . . . because we are too busy celebrating ourselves and listening to the same tune we already know by heart."

The fact that [Richard] Stengel [Time's managing editor] included Williams's essay proves that Stengel's Time has what 99.9 percent of the Web's content lacks: seriousness.

Under a new plan, Iraqis will have the ability to launch security operations without a multinational OK, the Iraqi government said Thursday.

The security plan for war-torn Baghdad would ostensibly place Iraqi troops in the lead and coalition forces in a supporting role.

The plan emerged during talks among officials from the Iraqi Defense and Interior ministries as well as the Multi-National Forces in Iraq — and during the visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Baghdad.

The plan, which "will see the light of day soon," according to Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, would create a system with "swifter mobilization and decision-making."

"It just reminded me that the system we have in place has caused people to rely upon smugglers and forgers in order to do work Americans aren't doing," Mr. Bush said.

So it's also worth noting that since 1997 Swift has voluntarily participated in a government program for vetting new hires known as Basic Pilot. Under this system, the names and Social Security numbers of all job applicants are checked against a federal database. Which is to say that the presence of illegal workers at Swift is not the result of a company's indifference to the rule of law. It's the result of a flawed government system for determining who's eligible to work here. A few years ago Swift's management attempted to go even further than Basic Pilot to screen job applicants, only to be sued by the Justice Department for employment discrimination in 2001.

In Tuesday's raids, workers were arrested for immigration violations and, in some cases, existing criminal arrest warrants. Additional criminal charges of aggravated identity theft may be brought later.