Because he is a jerk, of course.

Nevertheless, he has apologized to Brooke Shields, or so she said to Jay Leno. Apparently, Cruise visited her at her home on Thursday, August 30, and gave a “heartfelt” apology
Funny, though, that according to Google News, his people started saying how sorry he was on August 26, several days before he actually went over and apologized.

Tom Cruise ‘Deeply Regrets’ Brooke Shields Attack
Post Chronicle - Aug 28, 2006
Hollywood star Tom Cruise “deeply regrets” his verbal attack on Brooke Shields, after the actress praised anti-depressants for helping her fight against …

Producer: Tom Cruise regrets Brooke Shields comments
Reality TV World, MA - Aug 25, 2006
Hollywood producer Kathleen Kennedy says Tom Cruise has expressed regret over comments the actor made regarding Brooke Shields‘ anti-depressant use. …

Now, this is a PR campaign. Not that anyone should care. And for what it’s worth, she accepted his apology. Because she’s a movie star, and that’s what stars do for each other.

TigerHawk said earlier this week that he’s bemused by the unhappiness of Israel’s friends with the fuzzy outcome of its war with Hezbollah.

There’s no doubt that because it wasn’t an outright win (and because the win it did have—i.e., tacit permission to pound Hezbollah into submission—was ugly), it was a perceived loss. That in itself is costly, particularly in the PR arena, which is arguably the most important arena in our plugged-in-24/7 world.

It’s important to remember, though, that the “stickiness” of a PR victory such as Hezbollah’s “victory” is a short-term phenomenon and that creating or changing a narrative—which is the long-term goal of a PR campaign and also, by the way, Hezbollah’s long-term goal—takes many small PR victories.

Nevertheless, PR victories are important, because once you’ve planted an illusion, image, idea, or notion that sticks, it’s impossible for your opponent to dismantle it. It is only possible for your opponent to create a new image, illusion, idea, or notion. That, as Bernays preached, is the way to fight PR: with more PR. And it works, because the public, which lives in a state of distraction, is forgetful. So we live in an endless cycle of PR narratives and counter-narratives—which are all the more visible in our media-drenched world.

The other day, Austin Bay explained how Hezbollah’s perceived “victory”—bought on the cheap through PR coups—is gradually giving way to the situation on the ground, where things are much worse for Hezbollah, whose infrastructure has been decimated.

Israel’s and Hezbollah’s War of the Rockets has entered a new phase: the War of the Wallets, the race to gain political capital by rebuilding southern Lebanon.

Diplomats and military analysts continue to debate The War of the Rockets. The conventional wisdom — or more accurately, the wisdom of first impressions — said Israel lost the military war and Hezbollah won by surviving.

But the emerging “big picture” suggests the War of the Rockets physically punished and politically damaged Hezbollah, despite its media touts of victory.

On the other hand, Israel cannot claim a victory — at least, not yet.

Read the whole thing.

My own take? This war was a disaster for Hezbollah, for Lebanon, and for Israel too. But the conflict was inevitable, and brewing under the surface, just as 9/11 was brewing under the surface while we were asleep at the wheel (and dreaming of becoming Internet millionaires).

And grim realities grind on.