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| Iraq |
| US propaganda war over Zarqawi a draw, some say |
| 2006-05-06 |
| Insurgents and the United States use propaganda such as the video of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi fumbling with his rifle as a tactic in the war. But some analysts say neither side has been effective in exploiting such messages to achieve its goals. Basim al-Sheik, editor in chief of the Iraqi daily ad-Dustour, said both sides are trying to sway public opinion. "In reality, both sides lost," he said. "Al-Zarqawi lost his support when he carried out his barbaric acts against innocent Iraqis, and the Americans lost when they failed to stop it and arrest him. The only one who pays is the Iraqi citizen." Video released Thursday by the U.S. military command showed a frowning al-Zarqawi struggling with his machine gun and wearing American tennis shoes. U.S. officials said the clips were edited from a version posted on Islamist Web sites last month that depicted al-Zarqawi as a confident warrior. Reaction among Iraqis appeared divided along sectarian lines. Shi'ites, the group attacked by al-Zarqawi's followers, seemed more inclined to accept the lampooning of the militant. Sunnis, who form the core of the insurgency, repeated doubts. "If it is authentic, the part of the video I saw on TV today shows that al-Zarqawi lacks the basic knowledge of weapons that any soldier should have," said Abdel-Hassan, a Shi'ite government employee. "This could hurt his image." But a Sunni, Sattar al-Dulaimi, questioned whether the Americans have their own agenda for al-Zarqawi. "The reason the Americans haven't captured or killed al-Zarqawi is that they need an Al Qaeda connection to justify their occupation of Iraq," he said. Shortly before noon Friday, a roadside bomb killed three U.S. soldiers in Babil province, south of Baghdad. The U.S. military did not provide other details. But Iraqi police said a military convey was the target of the blast. Denmark plans to cut 80 troops from its 530-strong contingent in what officials call a reorganization of forces, the government said Friday. The troops are in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. The plan, expected to pass, will be presented May 18 to lawmakers. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #4 Nice catch Matt. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-05-06 13:39 |
| #3 We have two posted articles today commenting on what the Danes are doing in Iraq. The AP says that the Danes are cutting 80 troops; the Pakistan Daily Times says that the Danes are extending their commitment of 500 troops. They're probably both factually accurate, but the pro-American spin comes from Pakistan and the anti-American spin comes from the AP. We live in interesting times. I wonder what the MSM would have done with a video of Rumsfeld fumbling with a machine gun. |
| Posted by: Matt 2006-05-06 11:18 |
| #2 I now consider it a stroke of luck that the US military allowed the MSM to cover the war. They have discredited themselves beyond repair. The MSM has indeed swayed the opinions of the liberals who are hearing what they want to hear and they have also swayed the opinions of others who don't really pay attention, but I'm not sure how much that really matters in the big scope. People who pay attention to what's going on have zero respect for their inaccurate and poor reporting from the war. They provide a useful service only in that you can get a feel for what's going on by just making an adjustment for their ridiculouos bias. Also, the dedicated can sift through the MSM trash, hoping to to find useful scraps. |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-05-06 09:05 |
| #1 Amazing considering the Zarqawi has nearly the entire MSM working on his behalf. Never questioning, never analyzing, never criticizing his actions, goals and methods with the slightest degree of distain demonstrated daily for those of the Coalition and particularly America. Its also amazing given that it wasn't Rummy but the uniformed leadership of the Pentagon who choose to outsource coverage of the war to that same MSM, rather than use in house manpower as they did in WWII to deliver the story. |
| Posted by: Clong Hupeaque3944 2006-05-06 08:53 |