This Is What "Liberation" Looks Like

This blog has been ridiculing the Iraq-war-as-liberation thesis since its inception (a thesis which, though to hear it told one would think is as old as the commandments themselves, was initially proposed about two and one-half months ago). So we had intended to write about the conclusions the mainstream media dare not draw from its own reports: this so-called war of "liberation" is, in the view of the Iraqi people, anything but. However, Dack has up and beaten us to it, so go read his analysis instead.

For continuing reports on this matter (and others), see the Iraq War Fallout page. Particularly recommended is Robert Fisk's interview with Democracy Now!. (Don't know how many journalism awards Fisk has won, but it's surely not nearly enough. Best quote (in response to the question why he had not left Baghdad as Colin Powell had instructed foreign journalists to do): "Because I don’t work for Colin Powell, I work for a British newspaper called The Independent; if you read it, you’ll find that we are. It’s not the job of a journalist to snap to the attention of generals.")

A note on language. The U.S., which had initially planned to avoid southern Iraqi cities in its manic rush to Baghdad has now decided to turn around and "address" the threat posed by Iraqi militias in the south before laying waste to Baghdad. Now, recall that just a week ago, The Superbrain promised to liberate the "brave" Iraqi people -- all those who aren't, he said, "Saddam and his gang of killers". A "senior American military official" in describing this new strategy, now says that, "We will go where the enemy is." The Superbrain assured us that these "brave" Iraqi people would throw down their weapons and welcome the U.S. military with open arms. As that didn't happen, they've now become the "enemy", with nary a reporter appearing to have noticed the about-face.

In the words of Johnny Cochrane: "That does not make sense!"

Posted by Eddie Tews at March 26, 2003 12:44 PM