Considering current events in Iraq, do you still hold to these views?
OH absolutely.
This euphoria will be so short lived. I say this because the US is not doing any concerted effort to keep this positive image. They just barely dodge the bullet of the Al Jazeera building bombing and the Journalist hotel strafing.
I was so frustrated whenever that Information Monkey kept blatantly lying about US troops in Baghdad. Why couldnt the US hijack Iraqi TV frequencies and transmit live footage of US soldiers occupying the palaces? Why could a US helicopter gunship strafe that statue of Saddam in the background when the Information monkey was holding his press conferences?
Heres where the US will lose it in the next week or so:
*Civilian casualties
*Yellow Cluster bombs … I thought they fixed this during Afghanistan
*Snipers! just one shot will ruin any party on the street and it will send a chill up the spines of all celebrating that remnants of Saddams terror are still very real
*Chalabi vs UN reconstruction. France is going to have another feild day.
There are plenty of opportunities to grab and make this a glorious win for the US and Britain but we keep letting it slip away. We cant rely on the free market media to tell a positive side to what we are doing. We have to go out there and tell them.
Are you kidding??? That guy provided the most humo(u)r of the entire war!
Besides, what was he supposed to do? Tell the truth and get himself shot?
Yes it was obvious to the US and most of the western world that the Information Monkey was just doing his little shtick and we all know what would happen to him if he came right out and said CNN was right.
However, one thing escapes most of us in america. Some people in the Middle East in and around Iraq, believed him. Some even think this guy is one who gave a brave face in the midst of a hopeless battle. He was enuf of an influence to draw peoples from outside Iraq to join the war. He heartened those who faltered and kept the ignorant fighting.
The middle east does not have 2 TVs in every home and a camel in every garage. They rely on scant information given to them by Arabic speaking people who slant it heavily for their side. In a 2 man race they come in second not lose the race. They rely mostly on the emotional aspect of the story. They dont care for the technical reasons or the whiz bang of a JDAM, all they care is that innocent women and children are getting killed. All the US offers are excuses and tech jargon. It doesnt make it in the final tally.
This is what I have been trying to say in the OP. We are not addressing the issues the way the arabs see them. We address the issues that are important to us in america, which is why we have a 70% approval rating, but it is imperative that we address the arab issues as well. This overthrow and the Iraqi civilians jubilant about their freedom is very good but we must keep the momentum and take the initiative. We cant be reactive in keeping our good-guys image, we must be proactive.
Fuel for the fire:
Anger at ‘governor’ Garner’s pro-Israel stance
A somewhat more balanced view doesn’t pack the same propaganda punch:
The Americans who will run Iraq
Good examples, Squink
Its the difference between reading best seller Romance novels and a good technical manual. One may be crap as far as truth and data is concered but it sells way more than the other.