Woodward's 'Serious Sin'

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

The Washington Post's ombudsman says star reporter Bob Woodward committed a "deeply serious sin" by failing to tell his editors that an administration source told him the identity of CIA analyst Valerie Plame and then commenting on the investigation on TV. Deborah Howell says the Post should exercise more oversight on Woodward, writing that he "comes and goes as he pleases...he reports only to executive editor Len Downie. [And] He is allowed to keep juicy stories to himself until his latest book is unveiled," adding that Woodward "has to operate under the rules that govern the rest of the staff — even if he's rich and famous."

‘Back To Normal’?

The French ambassador to the U.S. says the country is "back to normal" after the wave of violence that swept Muslim communities in some 300 cities and towns. What's more, Jean-David Levitte says, "the word 'riot' is a bit too strong" to describe the disturbances... saying the unrest that destroyed thousands of cars and left dozens of police officers injured can't compare with the Los Angeles riots of 1992 that left 55 people dead.

Levitte explains that the uprising by Muslim teens was "not about the role of Islam in France,” saying, "We know that jihadists are recruiting teenagers, but this has nothing to do with the general unrest."

PC Prizes

The Global Language Monitor has released its list of the top ten most outrageous examples of political correctness for 2005. Coming in at No. 9: an Anglican Church in Wales, which changed the lyrics of the 500-year-old Christmas carol, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" to "God Rest Ye Merry Persons." At No. 6 is the UK teachers' union, which considered scrapping the word "fail" in favor of "deferred success" to bolster students' self esteem.

And at the top of the list is the BBC, which refused to use the word "terrorist" to describe the suicide bombers who attacked London in July, instead calling them "misguided criminals."

Holiday Blues

Massachusetts shoppers may want to take extra care preparing Thanksgiving dinner this year. The state has warned the upscale Whole Foods supermarket chain to keep its doors closed on the holiday or face criminal charges under the state's centuries-old "blue laws." While the laws require all stores to remain closed on major holidays, some Whole Foods stores in the state had opened on Thanksgiving in the past, after obtaining special permits from the local government.

But the Massachusetts attorney general says the law will be enforced this holiday season and anyone burning their Thanksgiving turkey will just have to eat it.

— FOX News' Aaron Bruns contributed to this report