• by Gaetano Pollice , June 23, 2008

As the never-ending hydration wars rage into month seven, it's no secret that Dunkin' Donuts has continued to encroach upon archrival Starbucks' market share on the battleground of caffeinated beverages. But leave it to Dunkin' spokeslady Rachael Ray to drag a completely different war - you know, that one about freedom - into the conflict.

In an ad, the perennially perky television mogul and magazine editrix, who's shown sartorial senselessness of a different stripe as an FHM model, see above, donned a fringed black-and-white scarf whilst wielding an iced latte. That scarf caught the ire of conservative bloggers who noted its resemblance to an Arab headdress called a kaffiyeh. Blogger Charles Johnson wrote, "Dunkin' Donuts ... is the latest American firm to casually promote the symbol of Palestinian terrorism and the intifada, the kaffiyeh." Yum-oh.

The subsequent backlash caused Dunkin' to pull the ad altogether, and the company told the Associated Press that "absolutely no symbolism was intended." For you fashionistas, it also clarified that a stylist chose the scarf, which was made from silk and adorned with a paisley design.

Perhaps Ray's stylist innocently bought the scarf from a sales rack at H&M. Perhaps the stylist trusted that Dunkin's ranks were so many that he or she could coerce billions of iced latte drinkers to Islamic extremism and terrorism from a subtle, devious place around Ray's neck. Perhaps we will never know.

The scarf in question could not be reached for comment at press time.