Google has complained to antitrusters about Microsoft linking to its own search engine on IE. The commenters are pretty unanimous: "Have you guys lost your minds?"

See John Murrell on Good Morning, Silicon Valley:

"So let's clear this one up," writes Yaron Galai at Web X.0. "Google is suggesting that Microsoft use its last real asset in the search war, which it has practically lost (13.2% market share and declining), and hand it away to Google so that it can, in essence, become a monopoly." Mmm, yeah, that sounds about right. Galai adds, "Instead of complaining about the MSN search box being embedded into IE7, Marissa should send Microsoft a big bouquet of flowers with a thank you note, saying how much they appreciate MS for sitting on their asses for so many years, not releasing a tiny IE patch adding MSN search by default and in the process letting Google become the biggest Internet company in the world."

And Jerry Brito on Technology Liberation Front:

Wow. This is deja vu all over again. According to Microsoft, it is simple to change the default search engine if you want to. Also, last time I checked, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and the AOL browser all have Google as the default--and Google paid cash to the latter two for the privilege.

There is also the basic principle set forth by that great tech commentator, Rudyard Kipling:

And that is called paying the Dane-geld,
But we've proved it again and again,
That once you have paid him the Dane-geld,
You never get rid of the Dane.