Since firing a shot across Google’s bow on Monday, the Associated Press has received all sorts of heat. Most of that heat has come in the form of snarky criticism, but there are a surprising number of diamonds in the rough. Dave Winer:

No one, and I mean no one, has the site that everyone goes to to find out What’s New Now. It’s weird that AP singularly has the best resources to create such a site, and get way out in front of the Internet industry, including Google. Esp if they partnered with some of their competitors like AFP and NYTCO or Bloomberg. Then it all comes down to UI. Have a look at Twitter or FriendFeed and you’ll get some ideas right off. River Of News. That, my dear friends at AP (no sarcasm) is where you should be pouring your energy, not trying to take back what you think Google took from you. That happened a long time ago, and the toothpaste ain’t going back in the tube.

To be honest, though, I’m not sure they have the leadership to execute. That’s the biggest hurdle to innovation in this “newspaper crisis.”