NBC's David Bloom, reporting from the 3d Infantry Division's column in southern Iraq.

I believe that the correct decision to “embed” hundreds of Western journalists into Allied liberation forces was done because, obviously, we’re the ones on the side of freedom and a free press. Secondly, on a more pragmatic level, as the US and the UK fully expect evidence of WMD to be eventually uncovered, perhaps a great deal of evidence, it’s very important for the independent journalists to be there on site to report it all to the world. WMD experts are unanimous in their opinion that Saddam has tons of the chemical and biological stuff, and it’s undoubtedly very well hidden. We’ll have to be patient and not expect our soldiers to be instantly finding and uncovering the stuff the moment they set foot in country. In many cases the stuff won’t be located until Baghdad is taken, files are found, and high level prisoners or defectors are interrogated.

Also, when we get into Baghdad and open up Saddam’s prisons and secret torture chambers, it’s important for the international journalists to be there to report it.

Compare this to the way Saddam’s thugs and criminals treat journalists:

CNN news crew kicked out of Iraq

Saddam’s Al Queda allies kill Australian journalist

Three more journalists missing, feared killed by Saddam’s soldiers