Iraq: Baghdad Blogs provide insight into troops comments about American Media

One of the recurring themes in the "war in Iraq" is to have troops publicly comment that "the media is all negative and doesn't match the real situation." Then the show-host has a special interview where the American military-propaganda from the White House is spewed forth.

Small problem. The tales of "this media doesn't match what I saw" ... doesn't match reality. Dn't be shocked. It's called propaganda. And DoD is spewing it out.

Discussion

The bloggers in Iraq are confirming the worst news: Bad security, and political leaders who spend more time cheerleading than actually solving problems. That Bush is lying to get re-elected should not be a shock; what should be surprising is the extent DoD is having to go to fight the blogs.

The new DoD tactic is to have well, DoD-sponsored blogs. Yet, how could these troops possibly have time to "blog" when the security situation is bad? The answer is: It's part of the propaganda war.

DoD also encourages troops trained in public relations to contct the media. Beware of the "honest US military member's assessment of the propaganda in the American media."

DoD is actually using this as a strategy to help Bush win the election. Don't be fooled. The bloggers know the situation is sliding toward civil war. And there's nothing a cheerleading-Bush can do, except hope the disaster doesn't blow up prior to November. The situation is only "containable" by shooting the messenger, discounting the media, and focusing on the small victories.

There are many sucker's rallies on the way to the bottom. A momentary blip should not be confused as a turnaround. Iraq is more likely to have a civil war than free elections in January; all this is irrelevant to the American voters who have to make the choice before the decision on elections is made.

Yes, Virginia, they deliberately put the "elections" in January, so that they could be delayed after the November elections. Mid November, start listening for more rumblings about a draft. They're not rumblings but real.

The situation on the ground is much different than the military-propaganda-calls to the media.

Who do you believe: Imperialist-dogs looking for an excuse to abuse or bloggers who are there and have their eyes open?

Our politicians are outside of the country 90% of the time (by the way, if anyone has any news of our president Ghazi Ajeel Al Yawir, do let us know- where was he last seen or heard?), the security situation is a joke, the press are shutting down and pulling out and our beloved exiles are painting rosey pictures for the American public- you know- so everyone who voted for Bush can sleep at night. Ref

"That's right," said the President to the troops, "It's all downhill now, except for the uphill part." And a mighty hill it is after the "good" news is sifted through.

No different than the Roman Empire. Same bullshit, same land, same excuses. The US is just looking for an excuse to crucify someone and shut down the opposition. Rome learned the hardway that crucifixions merely inspire the opposition.

This was a war of choice, not of necessity. Just as the "choice" about doing nothing prior to 9-11.

Yet this government chose nothing. So much for "preserve, protect, and defend the constitution." Checks and balances? Judicial branch is out to lunch, and in need of reform. Just as the entire American "model." Not one to be exported, but reformed at home first and then forced to show it can achieve results.

Foreigners need not be subjected to standards we do not follow at home, nor deem fit to follow.

The idea of "liberty, freedom" are merely calling cards to rally the nation so that the ruling-entities can justify abusing in the name of "whatever slogan is convenient this week." If we were truly "fighting for freedom," we'd have enough troops on the ground in Florida to make sure there was no looting.

Poor planning in Iraq. Poor planning in America. Same system. Same failures. Don't be surprised, just more committed to solving at home the problems we expect others to magically solve abroad.

Americans can't solve these problems at home; there's little reason to expect the world to meet the same standard we cannot meet at home.

The smart thing would've been to put the Iraqis to work on rebuidling their own infrastructure, not brining in pricey-contractors who commit fraud. It is appalling that this nation tolerated a cost-plus contract that the contractors "justified" running empty trucks around and then overcharging on that "ineffectual work." That's right, while the Iraqis were sitting around with nothing to do, American contractors were driving empty trucks around, then abandoning $60,000 vehicles because the contracts were written so that "all costs plus profit" were to be reimbursed.

Explain that to Iraqis: You have to site around doing nothing, while Americans are paid to drive trucks that are hauling nothing. We're pretending to "be here to help," when in fact we're simply using the "we're here to help" as the excuse to find any means to justify charges, so that we can add on profit to things that are a waste of money.

Again, we are rewarding our own companies for inefficiency; and meanwhile the Iraqis are not being put to work.

Simple solution: Cancel the contracts with American firms, put the Iraqis to work, and there might be fewer non-Iraqi contractors getting beheaded.

It's that simple. And so many can't figure it out. These are the idiots who think they're "leaders," yet have to be told [by "the followers"] what to do.

They are not leaders, but stupid idiots. Time for them to go. Clean house. Clean up DC. And let's fix this mess in Iraq. We owe it to them. If we can't fix this mess in Iraq, why should American believe their government can do anything? Indeed, the "only solution" the American government can show is the threat of force, and a police state to "keep people in line."

Again, the Roman Empire. It too fell. Pre-emptive wars cannot be sustained when there are insufficient resources to sustain that pre-emption.

But pre-emption fails as a credible foundation when there is no real threat to "pre-empt." This government uses "allegations" to justify both detention of citizens at home/abroad, and also invasions of other nations.

An out of control, arrogant, abusive government looking for an excuse to invade, destroy, pry, abuse, and interfere. They've already decided they're going to "find out the information or the achieve the end result," they're just looking for a sellable pretext that the court, public opinion, and the auditors will swallow.

It's all bullshit. They simply use the laws, standards, rules, constitution as the new standard and guidebook to ignore.

The same arrogant system that is out of control on Wall Street is also the same abusive system that inflicts damage abroad. The only difference is the images. But it is the same reckless system. The UN and SEC both marginally regulate both.

Where's the Constitution's Elliot Spitzer when you really need him?