Releasing the Hussein Photos

[Zorba]

It's really quite amazing how little the U.S. government understands the mentality of the enemies they have made.

I trust those who aren't offended by graphic images have already seen these and noted the controversy surrounding their release:

http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030724.wiraq0724_3/BNStory/International/

Of course, this wouldn't be complete without a wildly ignorant remark from the President:

Mr. Bush announced: "Now the Iraqi people have seen clearly the intent of the American people to ensure that they are free."

OMG. If he was looking for the fastest way to galvanize solidarity against a U.S. presence in Iraq in the Middle East, he has found it.

He just made martyrs out of them.

Bush et. all will learn the painful way what many of us from other countries (or parents from other countries) where wars have been fought on domestic soil already know: there is very little, if anything, a foreign military presence can do right by the native populace.

 

[tillithurts]

Just a thought

I keep imagining that Iraqi information minister who became so popular at the start of the war (forgot his name) somehow managing to sneak the bodies away from the americans and then doing the 'weekend at bernies' thing with them by parading them around.

 

[Baghdad Bob]

Interesting idea.

 

[onthebottom]

It's really quite amazing how little the U.S. government understands the mentality of the enemies they have made.

Good point, I would have preferred the head-on-post in middle of town approach as well. But hey we're all so PC now.

OTB

 

[CyberGoth]

just wait for the backlash....

I agree with OTB..... when dealing with monsters like these two, I would happily stick there heads on pikes and leave them in the townsquare for there victims to see first hand.

anyone capable of using mustard gas on there own people.... deserve little better.

good riddance...

[beware the power of martyrs in regional cultures]

does anyone remember what happened to the soviets when they went into afghanistan in 1979???? and got utterly bogged down in a war they didnt understand fighting an enemy they couldnt hope to understand?

 

[CyberGoth]

Re: Just a thought

ROFLMAO!!! good one!

I keep imagining that Iraqi information minister who became so popular at the start of the war (forgot his name) somehow managing to sneak the bodies away from the americans and then doing the 'weekend at bernies' thing with them by parading them around.

 

[Zorba]

Re: just wait for the backlash....

anyone capable of using mustard gas on there own people.... deserve little better.

Surely they deserve even worse, but that's not the point.

Why make your job as difficult as possible?

If you are the U.S. military trying to root out the vestiges of resistence, why invite more resistence? Just go about your task as efficiently as possible, tearing down their support structure. You're not going to intimidate these people and you're not going to win any more support for releasing these photos, so why do it?

 

[CyberGoth]

bring me the head of the evil man so i may see for myself

simple... I dont believe anything without proof that has been authenticated. I dont expect the iraqi people to either.

wanna prove jesus existed? SHOW ME A CORPSE that I can verify. ergo, same with these two. someones gonna have to see a corpse first hand at some point.....

because with photoshop, you can do just about ANYTHING you want to a foto and a talented artist can pull of extremely convincing "photos" of anything.

in war, the first casualty is invariably TRUTH.

 

[onthebottom]

Re: bring me the head of the evil man so i may see for myself

because with photoshop, you can do just about ANYTHING you want to a foto and a talented artist can pull of extremely convincing "photos" of anything.

Another case for their heads on a pole.

OTB

 

[Zorba]

Re: bring me the head of the evil man so i may see for myself

simple... I dont believe anything without proof that has been authenticated. I dont expect the iraqi people to either.

No they won't. And many didn't.

Those that don't want to believe, won't.

Stick these idiots on a pole and you STILL won't get many people to believe.

So your answer then is, do this in the name of truth?

IMHO, truth is an inadequate reason for assisting the recruiting drive of terrorists. It is difficult enough for U.S. soldiers to do their job.

When the propaganda machines are churning, the truth hardly matters, whether you were for or against the war. Why does it matter now?

Look, ultimately I believe that the U.S. *should* act militarily when protecting their national interests. I just think Bush et. all have done an incredibly inept job at managing the war from a strategic standpoint. The whole WMD angle was a disaster and should not have been used as the primary prop. This is another strategic mistake. Not because it was "inhumane" or "immoral", I don't really give a rat's ass about that, but because releasing the photos only hurts the U.S. effort both in the short and long term.

BTW, the three Americans that were killed following the raid that took out the brothers were from the unit that carried out the attack.

 

[CyberGoth]

hey, its not my war. and i think american foreign policy is laughably short sighted...

it was the CIA who armed and trained mr. binladin when he was fighting the soviets in afghanistan..... they were under the impression that they could control him... [minor oops]

this war on terror is an accidental side effect of that little oopsie.

not my mess to clean up. [chuckles at the irony]

 

[onthebottom]

Re: just wait for the backlash....

does anyone remember what happened to the soviets when they went into afghanistan in 1979???? and got utterly bogged down in a war they didnt understand fighting an enemy they couldnt hope to understand?

Didn't I read quotes like this right before we went into Afghanistan? All the fretting about the Soviets getting bogged down for 10 years. We overthrew the Taliban and installed a new government in 10 weeks. I wouldn't use the Soviet comparison - they have 250 million people and an economy the size of Belgium - not very impressive.

OTB

 

[onthebottom]

Inspired Canadian Leadership

hey, its not my war.

OTB

 

[Big Daddy]

I think that US can have a $100 million award for anyone that proves that Saddam's sons are alive. Let the unbelievers seek the alive sons if they don't believe the US media.

 

[gryfin]

You make me laugh OTB

About the Soviets: "they have 250 million people and an economy the size of Belgium - not very impressive"

They can still vaporize you in 15 minutes. No, that's not very impressive. First men in space. No, not very impressive. Only reliable space station in existence. Came from near oblivion in WWll to heroically fight back and win. No, not impressive.

Was that Belgium that did that or the Soviet Union? I think your standards of measurement need a little honing. You might consider a historical perspective that's a little longer than the latest issue of the Economist.

 

[HowardHughes]

I agree with OTB with this one - I say do the Col. Kurtz with them. Put their heads on a stick in the middle of town.

Let them be martyrs - and offer a special for any of those who also wish to be martyrs - that their heads can join those of Saddam's sons.

"Fear, and moral terror are your friends...if they are not, then, they are enemies to be feared...they are truly enemies"

 

[gryfin]

Yeah, that's the solution!

We're just not violent enough!

 

[HowardHughes]

Yeah - just try me on a Monday!!!!!

LOL!!!

 

[Top Jimmy]

Funny, but don't I remember the Americans freaking out because the Iraqis showed photos of captured American soldiers on state TV. The U.S. was up in arms because this violated the Geneva convention.

Now they want to show the Iraqis the ones the US has killed. I realize that Saddam's sons are not POW's, but how about a little dignity here...

 

[gryfin]

Oh OTB, a little bit about Afghanistan

It may have taken the US ten weeks, but the Soviets did it in two days. In both cases, they installed a government that would collapse in days if it was not propped up the respective occupiers. Also, in each case, they installed a government whose power can be measured in city blocks.

Currently, Afghanistan is an utterly chaotic murderous mess. It's hard to understand if anything was accomplished in by the US attack on Afghanistan other than returning to the lunacy that existed before the Taliban. Poppy production is back in full swing and the warlords reign supreme once again.