It's civil war - sort of official

White House on defensive as US media breaks taboo to declare conflict 'civil war' | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited: "The New York Times and Los Angeles Times have been using the phrase for a while without fanfare, but on Monday NBC News used one of its best-known presenters, Matt Lauer, to declare the network's semantic defiance of the White House. 'After careful consideration, NBC News has decided a change in terminology is warranted, that the situation in Iraq, with armed, militarised factions fighting for their own political agendas, can now be characterised as civil war,' Lauer, the host of the Today show, said.

Bill Keller, the New York Times' executive editor, said: 'It's hard to argue that this war does not fit the generally accepted definition of civil war.'"