January 18, 2004
CIVILIANS "RESISTED"
Latest reports of the suicide bomber attack in Baghdad indicate that 18 people have died, all of them civilians -- 16 Iraqis and two Americans. The first BBC account I saw of this referred, of course, to "the resistance". That's the BBC's term for "the people who used to kill Iraqi civilians, and are still killing them today."
Meanwhile, so far as I can tell, this story hasn’t been reported anywhere outside of the US military press:
When he was forced to fashion statues of Saddam Hussein on horseback, the Iraqi sculptor, Kalat, had no idea that someday he would melt them down to create a memorial for American Soldiers.
(Via Fayrouz and Florida Cracker.)
Posted by Tim Blair at January 18, 2004 11:09 PMSMH reckons there are 20 dead, including two Department of Defence employees.
Posted by: Robert at January 18, 2004 at 11:38 PMThere are, sadly, two laws of which will continue to spoil war-pundrity, so long as hope triumphs over experience in commentary the Gulf security issues. Each time a:
- cache of suspected WMD's is found, the report will be discredited
- reduction in the insurgent attacks is heralded, the prediction will be confounded
There are, gladly, two saving graces of the war. The fact that the US et al servicemen are prepared to:
- politically, speak the truth
- professionally, risk their lives
With good luck, and some better management, the good guys may be able to sort this thing out. Posted by: Jack Strocchi at January 19, 2004 at 03:50 AM
So, Jack, a car bomb in B'dad "confounds" the irreversible extermination of regime leftovers in western Iraq? I'd say they're separate things. And BTW, the considered view of the responsible senior officer in an area may turn out to be wrong, but it's probably somewhere above "punditry." So we'll have to see how long it takes for the SS holdouts to make a come-back in western Iraq.
Scads of smart observers have been saying all along that the leftovers will be killed/incarcerated/discouraged/bought-off, in time, and security established (and coalition forces pulled back as Iraqi personnel take over most security roles). That punditry is proving correct and will be in the end. Meanwhile, as in Bali or Bombay or almost anywhere on Earth, car bombs will go off if someone really wants them to.
Meanwhile, the only punditry pattern I can descry so far is that of the obviously silly stuff being discredited (millions of refugees, regional instability, huge casualties, enviro-disaster, quagmires, waves of terrorism, waves of "unilateral" invasions world-wide -- don't forget that one -- surge in anti-Americanism distinguishable from the prior level, trillion-dollar price tags, and on and on and on).
Based on the experience of world history, and not on hope, I boldly predict patches of difficulty, crowned by continued achievement of essential objectives. I anxiously await events to discredit me .....
And Jack Strocchi will continue to troll his little fantasies on a blog that actually has readers.
Posted by: John Nowak at January 19, 2004 at 04:15 AMJack has a blog? I had no idea! He seems to live on this one.
Posted by: Andrea Harris at January 19, 2004 at 04:29 AMYeah, Jack's blog can be found at the following location:
Health > Mental Health > Psychosis > Celebrity Psychotics > Paul Krugman > Deluded Wanna-be's
Posted by: Jerry at January 19, 2004 at 06:00 AMRegarding the sculptor story- the Public Affairs site has been down for a couple of hours now, so here's an alternate link to the story.
Posted by: Donnah at January 19, 2004 at 06:13 AMAndrea Harris lodges an impressive early entry in the annual "Black-kettle Calling Pot" awards:
Jack has a blog? I had no idea! He seems to live on this one.
Eh tu, Andrea? Posted by: Jack Strocchi at January 19, 2004 at 09:34 AM
IceCold makes an impressive start in the General Sedgwick's "famous last words" awards:
That punditry is proving correct and will be in the end.
Incidentally, this effort could also be lodged concurrently in the "most blatant non-sequitir" award.
Icey,
You are currently learning, what have sometimes been called, the "lessons of history".
So isn't it time that you stopped taking potshots at "Ceasar's Messenger"?
A nephew of Saddam blew himself up. Seems at around 4ish AM, a white Mercedes was driving along, he in a passenger seat w/a bomb.
Bomb go boom.
Posted by: Sandy P. at January 19, 2004 at 10:58 AMStill, Jack, your blog is boring, and I won't visit it.
Posted by: Andrea Harris at January 19, 2004 at 11:12 AMCeasar's messenger?
What's a salad doing with messages?
(Yes, I know that's more correctly: Cesar)
Posted by: Quentin George at January 19, 2004 at 04:29 PMAndrea,
Your visitations to my blog will equal my visitations to your blog.
I am crushed.
That means I have to go all the way over to TB's place to enjoy your charming repartee.