I just watched Saddam's statue come down...

[Evil_Captor]

*Originally posted by tracer *
**I hope that in the aftermath of this war with the U.S., Iraq will fare as well as Japan did after WW2.

I fear that in the aftermath of this war with the U.S., Iraq will fare about as well as the various South and Central American countries we’ve stuck our noses into. **

Yeah, that’s my fear, too. Many of the problems we’ve been having in the Middle East have been due to the State Dept. and the CIA setting up and/or propping up dictators in the Middle East and elsewhere for decades (under both Repub and Dem administrations). I hope after Iran and Iraq we will have learned our lesson, but there’s a certain fake macho to supporting dictators that appeals to dickless American politicians.

[kingpengvin]

*Originally posted by Seven *
**That’s pretty much what I saw on television. I didn’t understand what all the hoopla was about.

Here we have a handful of Iraqis and the US troops pulling down a statue. Considering the population of Baghdad a few hundred is not a lot of people. **

hey I’m still in the anti war camp and yet I still see the significence of that moment.

Even if it was one Iraqi it is an act of defience that would never have been tollerated in that country. What was done there was a death sentence adn the fact that these people, (15, 50 or 500 whatever) felt secure enough to vent their hatred of the government shows that the government itself is seen by those people to no longer have control.

I hold no illusions as to the brutality these people lived under. I need only look at Amnesty international’s report ion Iraq to know this country was not eactly a heaven on earth. So to have anyone act in sucgh a way is a good thing.

The looting afterwards (not as stirring mind you) is further proof of the end of the governmwent. The Sadam governement officially died when that statue came down in Baghdad, and no reprisals came forth.

**

The US troops drive their tanks through Baghdad. CNN shows only the pretty side of this. Iraqis running up and kissing the army guy. What the don’t show is the crowd behind the tanks throwing rocks. You don’t see the Army had out bars of soap and then see the Iraqis pelt the Army troops with said soap. Iraqi students yelling at the US troops about blowing up their homes and saying “who’s going to liberate the dead?”**

I’m not saying you’re wrong but Please cite this… I missed that tidbit.

I know there have been some who are not happy to see this arrival, but the tide is slowly shifting. I know some people openly wept at the loss of Baghdad because they have no idea what will happen next nor do the know if they can trust the very people how were bombing them recenlty.

You are not going to have 100% approval, hell we also know there are still shooting battle oing on, but you miss the significence of any Iraqi feeling safe enough to shake hands with the soldiers. Or spit or urinate on a Saddam poster.

**

I hated that the US army pulls down this statue and all of a sudden the headlines “Saddam regime falls”. Like hell. That was a statue. Saddams army is still shooting real bullets and rockets at the US army.

Stupid US propaganda.

Shame on you all for falling for it. **

Two things… The first to try to pul it down were the couple of people on the street as the crowd grew they requested help.

And second I have to repeat my point, if any Iraqi believes they are safe to act in this way that government is effectively dead despite the few who are still shooting. In the North the remaining army just put down its weapons and walked away… there is no Sadam Regieme.

Damn no wonder some of the pro war posters are bashing anyone who still questions the wisdom of this war. This sounds like sour grapes and an unwillingness to actually understand what is happening in this war.

[toadspittle]

*Originally posted by Joachim Pieper *
**I’ve read that it was a flag from the pentagon, saved from september year before last. Is that a little inappropriate? **

I just read that somewhere else, and had to come here to SDMB to see if it was being discussed. I was firmly in the camp saying, “who cares–it was an exuberant US soldier (from NYC, no less, so a hometown boy) who, in a moment of excitement, threw a flag up there; big deal–the Iraqis loved it, and then the US flag was replaced withe a pre-Saddam Iraqi flag.”

But … the flag from the Pentagon on 9/11?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/2934651.stm

Baghdad :: Paul Wood :: 0521GMT

We’ve just learned from the US marines that the US flag that was put on the face of Saddam yesterday - it was replaced by an Iraqi flag when the people shouted for that - was the flag that was flying over the Pentagon on September 11.

For a lot of the American marines, they think this war is all about defeating terrorism, they will tell you that over and over again. There is also a connection in the minds of the American public between the regime of Saddam and what happened on September 11, and apparently the flag that was draped over this face was flying over the pentagon when the plane crashed into it.

What a freaky setup. Sorry, I have to do an about-face. Give the soldiers their chance to celebrate, no doubt, and forgive any minor, spontaneous acts of triumphalism, but this looks more and more like a carefully staged Kodak moment.

The 9/11 flag? WTF? You don’t just carry that around in your back pocket and casually whip it out.