AP Does It Again - Politically Correct Molotov Cocktails

On National Public Radio on Saturday here was a brief news report on the loss of the British helo in Basra. The report was unremarkable except for one thing... they referred to the mobs (okay maybe they said 'crowds') throwing "gasoline bombs." They said "gasoline bombs" twice in the report.

A quick search found an early AP report using the same language. "...The crowd set three British armored vehicles on fire, apparently with gasoline bombs and a rocket-propelled grenade, but the soldiers inside escaped unhurt, witnesses said...". It was probably the source for the NPR copy.

I'm assuming that a gasoline bomb is the same as a good ol' Molotov cocktail. So why not say Molotov cocktail? There's a great history behind the term, and educated listeners should know what it is. So why not say it?

Is this some politically correct crap, "let's not offend the old Soviet rulers." Or am I missing something totally innocuous?

Wouldn't you hate to think that someone is trying to reconstruct the guy who worked out the treaty with Hitler on how to split up an unsuspecting Western country between them. Hmm... who else is saying good things about Hitler nowadays....and what do they have to do with Russia?


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