The Statesman Journal (Salem, OR) has run a commentary by Daryl Cagle on the topic of the Danish cartoons.
The overblown reaction in Muslim countries to the blasphemy of the cartoons is what the story has become, as streets filled with violent protestors demand that the infidels in other countries respect a Muslim taboo. Clearly there are many in the Muslim world who are eager to stoke the fires of a clash of civilizations; they think they have found their popular issue with the cartoons.