Crowds Cheer as U.S. Marines Near Baghdad Center

Reuters ^ | 4/9 | Reuters

[ambrose]

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Crowds Cheer as U.S. Marines Near Baghdad Center Wed April 09, 2003 04:22 AM ET BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Hundreds of jubilant Iraqis mobbed a convoy of U.S. Marines on Wednesday, cheering, dancing and waving as American troops swept toward central Baghdad through slums and leafy suburbs from the east. Reuters correspondent Sean Maguire said crowds threw flowers at the Marines as they drove past the Martyrs' Monument, just two miles east of the central Jumhuriya Bridge over the Tigris river. "These are quite extraordinary scenes," Maguire said after a morning's drive through first the rundown sprawl of Saddam City and then more prosperous, suburbs with villas and trim lawns. The crowds, mainly young and middle-aged men, many wearing the soccer shirts of leading western clubs like Manchester United, shouted: "Hello, hello" as Marines advanced through local traffic. "No more (President) Saddam Hussein," chanted one group, waving to troops as they passed. "We love you, we love you." One young man ran alongside a Marine armored personnel carrier trying to hand over a heavy belt of ammunition. An older man made a wild kicking gesture with his foot, saying "Goodbye Saddam."

[goldstategop]

But but but... its a quaqmire!!! :)

[JohnHuang2]

Ya beat me by a few seconds this time :)

[EternalVigilance]

One young man ran alongside a Marine armored personnel carrier trying to hand over a heavy belt of ammunition.

Flowers are nice and all that, but this young man knows what gifts are most appropriate for a U.S. Marine...

[ambrose]

Haha. I sense that this will be a pivotal day in Operation Quagmire.

[EaglesUpForever]

BBC is now showing a Shia rally in Baghdad celebrating the arrival of the US.

[xp38]

Pivotal indeed...As the Quagmire turns.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

But but but... its a quaqmire!!!

LOL!!!What a relief!

[JohnHuang2]

"..I'm saddened, deeply, deeply saddened over this.."

[JohnHuang2]

hehehe

[Conservative4Ever]

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....VERY FUNNY LINE

Red

[goldstategop]

What was it about the Iraqis welcoming us only with bullets and shoes?? ;-)

[JohnHuang2]

Ah, yes...wonder how those gloomers and doomers plan to spin this? ;)

[Wilhelm Tell]

FREE AT LAST!

[Dec31,1999]

Eat my shorts, please. :)

[Ken H]

And this came from Reuters!

[NTNgod]

Maybe that damage to the Reuters office yesterday knocked some sense into them :)

[Retrofire]

As each new day exhibits more of Saddam's horrors for the world to see, and the coalition is vindicated, rather than relief I am filled with a sense of smoldering anger.

Anger at the Pope, who would rather these poor, bitterly oppressed people squalor in fear and pain beneath the yoke of this vile dictator...

Anger at France and Germany, who tacitly endorsed their suffering in lieu of lucrative trade arrangements...

Anger at the UN, whose miserable failures in everything they ever intervened in makes a United States coalition the only effective law enforcement entity in the world...

This victory is the Iraqi people's victory for long-suffering in spite of an international community who simply found it more convenient to turn their back on them.

America is often called arrogant by the rest of the world...I think they misunderstand us. What they perceive as self-worship I am increasingly understanding to actually be simple contempt for the rest of a world that would rather turn away from hardship than face it head on.

That would rather debate an issue than resolve it.

That would let the image of three dead reporters and a child with no arms, as tragic as it is, stand in trade for a hundred thousand souls damned to torture and humiliation ended only by a death too long in coming.

I've never been prouder to be an American.

[goldstategop]

Let's toast to the greatest country in the history of the world. Cheers!!! :-)

[George W. Bush]

But but but... its a quaqmire!!! :)

It is a quagmire. I just know it is. You wait and see. I told you so many times. Oh, how evil we are to be so powerful. We must be punished for our arrogance.

It only looks like a victory. It's still a quagmire. I read that several of our troops had hangnails and others suffered insect bites recently. Quagmire! How much proof do you need? Don't be fooled by those cheering Iraqi crowds...