I extend my concern for everyone who has family or loved ones over in Iraq. God bless them and bring them home safely, as soon as possible.

Don’t take my comments personally, or think I’m passing judgement on anyone (except perhaps our leadership). I just want the best for my family and, well, all of America.

Jim

You said, “please,” so I gave you a textbook response which would apply in general, and listed a series of conditions which I thought would be indicative of that success specifically in Iraq. In short, I did you the curtesy of responding to your request, and I said nothing at all about “stay(ing) the course,” that’s one of your strawman.

Nor did I indicate the Kurds should “stop moving” anywhere. I said they, “…must resist the temptation to push for a comprehensive Kurdish State…” There’s a difference, albeit subtle, but a distinctive difference nevertheless.

Additionally, although I shouldn’t have to say it, my opinions are mine, and are not subject to your approval. You are free to disagree, but not to make a request, put your words in my mouth, and then twist the context to suit your preconceptions.

Your ridicule hints you didn’t think much of my comments, and your snide remark about what I may have said to my friends confirms your ingratitude. Now, you have the gall to make additional requests. I think not. How rude can you be? You owe me an apology.

Diva, the MSM isn’t allied with the terrorists, or any cause. All they want is for you to pay attention to them, so you’ll buy from their sponsors. The MSM has found out the best way to get your attention is to scare you, shock you, and generally sell negativity.

Look at Monicagate, or “tailgate” as I like to call it. A President caught doing what so many others in power do all the time. Details on the fetid dress, a certain ‘curvature’ our President has– lurid details in wide circulation. The media catered to our most base emotions, and we all tuned in!

But now, the Republicans control government. Thus, when things go bad, it usually goes bad for Republicans. But not always– Tell me the headlines weren’t splashed with a congressman keeping a ‘cool’ $100K in his freezer! It gets your attention- negative, Negative, NEGATIVE reporting.

Stuff goes bad in Iraq. It’s gonna get reported over a power station finally going back online. A guy gets shot in a movie theater by a Muslim nut, it’s going to get reported over Bill Gates opening a hospital for the sick. You blame this on a MSM conspiracy (with terrorists)? If those stories were all links, which ones would you click on?

Frankly, the whole “MSM conspiracy” is a straw man created by right wing spin doctors to keep you from focusing on how Republicans are corrupt statists…same as the Democrats. It’s just like Iraqi politician who blames America for not doing XYZ as the cause for no electricity, and meanwhile the guy is taking kickbacks.

Think. Independently.

Jim

- Sunni’s join the coalition in good faith
- Sunni’s reject Ba’ath socialists
- Al Qaeda is eliminated from Iraq
- Shi’a break ties with Iran
- Kurds stop moving towards an independent Kurdistan

Wow…I seriously hope you didn’t tell your friends that Iraq would be a cakewalk, like my pro-war friends tried to tell me it would be pre-invasion.

Just curious– How many billions of dollars and US lives is it worth to achieve this goal? Is a Pyrrhic victory not a concern?

Jim

It will become possible when Sunni’s join the coalition government in good faith, reject the Ba’ath socialists among them, and help hunt down and kill every Al Qaeda terrorist, and their enablers, still in the country. (Assuming there are any remaining after our boys get through with their miserable butchering, bloodthirsty, godless, cowardly, hides.)

Additionally, the Shi’a must maintain and strengthen their independence from Iran, and the Kurds must resist the temptation to push for a comprehensive Kurdish State at least till Iraq is stable and can function as an independent member of the community of nations.

Wow, Ann Coulter guest blogging at Agitprop! Thanks for stopping by Ann. Always a pleasure, thanks for having me blogenfreude, you godless liberal scumbag. [adjusts flamethrower]: Privates First Class Kristian Menchaca and Thomas Tucker were members of…

As the Iraqis take over more and more of those efforts, fewer and fewer American troops need to be there. The Iraqis have a goal oriented plan to do just that. Will it take time? Sure. They’re trying to make it work by the end of 2008.

If one of the two was my son, I don’t know how I’d feel about it being plastered all over the news (especially pictures)…but I agree with your sentiment that people need to know how inhumane these scumbags are. And as much as I’m a fiscal conservative, I have no problem spending whatever it takes to track down and bring to justice those involved in this vile act against our boys.

But the fact is, sadly, dozens of dead bodies turn up every day in Baghdad…many showing signs of torture. I think it’s horrible. But I don’t see how democracy will make it stop. The Iraqis voted! What magic are you expecting to happen? You can’t vote to make everyone love each other.

Why keep exposing our men to this horrible situation, and exposing them to this type of treatment? I just have to shake my head and say this is (horribly) more proof that Bush Sr. knew best when he said he didn’t want to take over Iraq. America’s presence is not going to change the culture. Iraqis are going to have to evict Al Qaeda (and there are signs this is happening) on their own, and are going to have to resolve their ethnic hatred on their own. Our presence is just a excuse for them to lump their problems on us, and take out their frustration on us.

Black Jack, as I’ve ask Giaus (and I’m stilll waiting), please give me your definition of what “success” is in Iraq. Saddam is deposed. Iraqis have voted. They’ve elected their own government. What do you expect us to be able to do?

Jim

The media was full of those who wanted Rumsfeld fired after Abu Ghrahib (as if he’d ordered what those morons did), yet not a word of praise for him after Zarqawi was taken out. If we are going to apply the standard that anything bad in the military ought to mean Rummy’s head then he should, by the same standard, reap praise for success. Yet nothing in the media, who reports using that standard, is positive toward Rumsfeld. In fact, spend a day watching CNN from 9am-5pm and take notes. Tell me how many positive military stories they run, how many negative military stories they run and compare. Do likewise with pro or contra Bush (and the administration) stories. Then keep track of air time given to anti-war/anti-Bush people vs. those supportive of him or the war.

All told, a the bombing of a mosque would normally be newsworthy…normally. Too bad things in the MSM are not normal.

As I wrote earlier – I want the MSM to report the stories that are coming out of Iraq – however I want them to be balanced in what they report and to keep their biases out of what should be factual reporting. Right now I can see the overwhelming bias in the reporting of many in the MSM. Even the former leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq (Zarqawhi) mentioned that the MSM was on his side – there’s something to think about – if the terrorists think the MSM can help them defeat a military with superior weaponry, strategy and war planning then it brightly illustrates the fact that the MSM are (perhaps unwittingly so) favorably biased toward the enemy (terrorists) – and that those enemies are smart enough to take the media advantage and use it in their propaganda.

A bit off topic but still Media related : The coverage of Zarqawi’s death and the positive signifigance linked to his demise was just an itty bitty blip on the MSM story radar. Interesting wouldn’t you say? Specially compared to the coverage of the alledged Haditha atrocities. Perhaps that’s simply some in the MSM preferring to report stories that demonize the Bush administration, the military and anyone who supports the Iraq war. Whereas, Zarqawi’s death was a much less hot topic story( and the majority of those stories reported where chastising the Bush Administration for not killing him sooner or for purposely making him the connection between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda as seen here and here). One would think that a great deal more reporting would be generated covering the death of one of the most evil terrorists thugs who delighted in personally torturing , beheading and killing innocent civilians. Could it be that his death was an indicator that there are successes in Iraq and in the war on terror? Is it because the MSM prefers to repeat Congressman Murtha’s insanities on the alledged atrocities in Haditha because that story portrays the Bush Administration and the Military in an awful light – som in the MSM even went so far as to gleefully report on the similarities between the alledged atrocities at Haditha and My Lai. Again that story shows the bias – not the reporting of the facts.

Is their treatment at the hands of terrorists worth reporting? Say, somewhere on the scale false reports of Koran abuse were reported, or similar to the way Abu Ghraib dominated the headlines for weeks on end? If not, why not?

MSM’s not really all that squeamish or overly concerned about the impact of blood and gore on the public. They don’t have any qualms about showing Iraqi victims of Al Qaeda brutality. Think we’ll ever see MSM pictures and descriptions of terrorists along with denunciations of their despicable barbarity held up for widespread condemnation any time soon? Editorials in the NY Times calling for the whole world to unite in revulsion against Al Qaeda’s bloodthirsty monsters?

Perhaps a call in the Security Council, or some Human Rights Organization for all civilized nations to join together in a Global War on Terrorism to eliminate the vile scourge from the face of planet Earth. Front page stories in the WaPo and LA Times calling for the UN to declare Al Qaeda a threat to the very concept of “human rights?”

Or, should we expect MSM will continue to oppose American efforts to bring democracy to Iraq, condemn our troops at every opportunity while turning a blind eye to actual atrocities committed by Al Qaeda? If so, isn’t that more than enough evidence to conclude there just might be a whiff of bias out there blowin’ in the wind?

…

Giaus, c’mon, seriously…isn’t a mosque blown up by whack-job extremists worth reporting? If so, is that the extremists manipulating the media? The slipperly slope response to your concerns is state controlled media. As a big first amdendment guy, I can’t believe you’d want this.

Is the US Embassy in Baghdad participating in this manipulation conspiracy you and gay patriot aver? Did you read the report that came out last week from the embassy discussing the grave conditions the Embassy workers are living under?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/opinions/graphics/iraqdocs_061606.pdf

It’s easy to take a shot at the MSM and claim biased reporting, but it’s hard to explain away a report from the Embassy. Maybe it isn’t a pro-insurgent media conspiracy. Maybe it’s reality in Baghdad.

Jim

Democrats in Congress are all too willing to join sides and help the media present a distorted view of the war on terror, the military and progress in Iraq. The Jane Fonda party is exactly what the terrorists need to deflate the troops, turn public opi…