The top story on MSNBC today is: NBC News and MSNBC's decision to characterize the situation in Iraq as a "civil war." The cable net has been using the term all day and has covered the decision during every hour of MSNBC Live.

During the noon hour, Republican strategist Cheri Jacobus vehemently disagreed with the decision, and offered some advice on how to run the network:

"What I want to take issue with is NBC and MSNBC making this determination either to effect policy or whatever -- what you folks should be doing is looking at the news and reporting the news, not deciding, not making news on your own.

I just think it's so inappropriate for Matt Lauer to be the guy to announce this because a couple of suits at MSNBC have decided to look at what a couple of scholars and politicans are saying and now you're making the news. It's inappropriate and it serves no useful purpose."