I watched dozens, maybe hundreds of Iraqi’s knock down a statue of Saddam right in front of the Palestine Hotel (which had been hit by tank shells the day before).
There really weren’t many folk there at all. Dozens up to hundred plus. Five Million folks in that city? Okie…hmm.
I really wanted to see Iraqi folks drop that statue.
The Marines could help. And Lo & Behold - the flag that flew over the Pentagon on 9/11 was there. The Marine who draped it on Saddam’s statue ugly mug was from Brooklyn. I’d have preferred he smacked that hollow statue. Anyways…
…the whole deal was choreographed by the Pentagon - just in time for Rummy’s statement.
Huh? What is the point of this guy’s site? Of course the Pentagon “orchestrated” it. Coalition forces were there to help pull down the statue. Who every claimed the Iraqis acted alone in knocking it down?
According to this dude, “The plaza was empty and sealed off by the Marines,” but according to the exact photograph on that site, it is clear that many dozens of civilians are milling around the plaza near where the tanks are, perfectly free to rush the statue when it fell. There is absolutely no evidence that the Marines were trying to keep anyone in or out.
The site says Ahmed Chalabi is a “Washington favorite to head the new government,” but Ahmed Chalabi has publically stated that he has no intention of assuming a political role in Iraq.
The setting was a “square” (really an oval) right in front of the Palestine Hotel where many journalists stayed.
Baghdad has 5,000,000 people residing there.
I was watching that stuff live last Wednesday morning. I noted (as did Christiane Amanpour) the relative lack of folks there. The ‘square’ wasn’t blocked off - enough people for a photo-op were there.
Possibly (as that article goes on to say) many were part of some Iraqi Free Congress (or whatever). There were many people celebrating in the streets the day after.
When the Berlin Wall came down, the Pentagon didn’t have shills set up to jump for joy for the cameras. That of course was pre Arnett days.
I think it’s still standing in the picture. It’s the big brown shape sticking up above the pillars.
I agree with Corbomite. This looks like a set-up. The road on the right side of the picture sure looks blocked off to me. There are too many tanks and too few people.
I don’t think so. The statue was almost as tall as the pedestal and wide enough that it would have blocked the view of the pillar behind the pedestal. The big brown shape is a vehicle behind the pillars.
This link in the OP sounds almost like the same sort of crap which inspired a Pit thread. Neither linked site mentions the statue in Kirkuk which was knocked down by Kurdish troops and Iraqi civilians. Does that not count because the US wasn’t involved?
BTW: I found a link to a video clip at the San Diego Union Tribune site, the clip has a much better view of the crowd of onlookers. I wish I could find a online video of the statue’s head being ridden around the square.