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Apr. 1st, 2003 12:41 pmI'm surprised that this report appeared on the BBC before anything was said (as best I can tell) on the official Columbia web page.
Apr. 1st, 2003
The US army is rediscovering the joys of dealing with guerilla warfare; the UK troops are probably thinking it's another Kosovo, or another Belfast, except with the added risk that your own allies are going to kill you before the opposition does.
Both pro and anti war are playing emotional cards. "think of the children!" vs. "we will liberate!". Great.
Both pro and anti war are playing spin, too. "look how accurate we are!" vs. "sure, that's a missile, but he's allowed have that one". Brilliant. Are "Seersucker missiles" prohibited weapons or not? Does the discovery of a gas mask constitute proof that the owner is going to use chemicals, or is it just proof that the Iraqis remember who supplied the gas to them, and the fact that the suppliers have plenty NBC's to play with? Is there any point to bombing out a palace, and showing the palace bombed out on TV, when it's pretty obvious that anyone with half a brain would have abandoned such an obvious target well in advance of any bombing? How about showing the same helicopter in the same field with the same guys around it from two different angles and claiming it's two helicopters, some planes, and a missile?
The varied forces have been on the outskirts of Baghdad for a week now. But every day we're told they've moved to within 50 miles of Baghdad. Are they circling around, or just dancing back and forth? Oh, and Umm Qasr has been captured for the third time, and fighting in Nasyriah (which I'm not sure how to spell) is continuing, and Basra is under siege/in revolt/surrounded/a smoking ruin... how many times have vital bridges over the Euphrates been captured again? And why did they bother, when they're building their own anyway?
I can't decide if this was the plan all along; make the war go on long enough that people will get bored of it and watch something else on TV. "We're still at war? Really? How's that working out?" Once people stop being so interested, the soldiers can get down to the serious business of laying waste the countryside, and to hell with collateral damage.
Maybe I'm just desensitized by it all.
Now, what's on the other channel?
Both pro and anti war are playing emotional cards. "think of the children!" vs. "we will liberate!". Great.
Both pro and anti war are playing spin, too. "look how accurate we are!" vs. "sure, that's a missile, but he's allowed have that one". Brilliant. Are "Seersucker missiles" prohibited weapons or not? Does the discovery of a gas mask constitute proof that the owner is going to use chemicals, or is it just proof that the Iraqis remember who supplied the gas to them, and the fact that the suppliers have plenty NBC's to play with? Is there any point to bombing out a palace, and showing the palace bombed out on TV, when it's pretty obvious that anyone with half a brain would have abandoned such an obvious target well in advance of any bombing? How about showing the same helicopter in the same field with the same guys around it from two different angles and claiming it's two helicopters, some planes, and a missile?
The varied forces have been on the outskirts of Baghdad for a week now. But every day we're told they've moved to within 50 miles of Baghdad. Are they circling around, or just dancing back and forth? Oh, and Umm Qasr has been captured for the third time, and fighting in Nasyriah (which I'm not sure how to spell) is continuing, and Basra is under siege/in revolt/surrounded/a smoking ruin... how many times have vital bridges over the Euphrates been captured again? And why did they bother, when they're building their own anyway?
I can't decide if this was the plan all along; make the war go on long enough that people will get bored of it and watch something else on TV. "We're still at war? Really? How's that working out?" Once people stop being so interested, the soldiers can get down to the serious business of laying waste the countryside, and to hell with collateral damage.
Maybe I'm just desensitized by it all.
Now, what's on the other channel?
