Army Stage-Managed Fall of Hussein Statue (mega-barf)

LA Times ^ | July 3, 2004 | David Zucchino

[ChuckShick]

July 3, 2004

THE NATION Army Stage-Managed Fall of Hussein Statue

David Zucchino

The Army's internal study of the war in Iraq criticizes some efforts by its own psychological operations units, but one spur-of-the-moment effort last year produced the most memorable image of the invasion.

As the Iraqi regime was collapsing on April 9, 2003, Marines converged on Firdos Square in central Baghdad, site of an enormous statue of Saddam Hussein. It was a Marine colonel — not joyous Iraqi civilians, as was widely assumed from the TV images — who decided to topple the statue, the Army report said. And it was a quick-thinking Army psychological operations team that made it appear to be a spontaneous Iraqi undertaking.

[ChuckShick]

I can't believe this is still news. Will the left ever get over this. Anything to tar our victory.

[Batrachian]

So I guess if this wasn't "stage managed", the statue would still be standing there proudly.

Make them pay in November, and make them pay now by boycotting them and their advertisers. It's the only pull we have with them.

[Let's Roll]

Editorial judgement displayed here - decision to run this at all, never mind write it - is the reason the LAT is having layoffs - actually it's the reason their advt revenues have fallen which then leads to layoffs.

They learn nothing so the product will worsen, revenues drop, and layoffs increase - works for me.

[rageaholic]

Actually I'd be glad if the military did a lot more "stage managment". We have no real counterpoint to Al Jazeera to beamed at the Arabs, likewise at home Moore and his ilk are running amok.

Propaganda has been a very weak link in the military's chain, with the lefties pushing their agenda on every front. The military and the political right has been nearly drowned out.

[Diogenesis]

[Ditter]

It doesn't lessen my joy at seeing the statue fall to know that an American had the idea. The poor Iraqis haven't been allowed to have an idea like that for generations. They got into it & enjoyed every minute of it. Good for them.

[TomGuy]

not joyous Iraqi civilians, as was widely assumed from the TV images

Do not believe your lying eyes. Those were not Iraqis chipping at the statue. Those were not Iraqis who climbed on the statue. Those were not Iraqis who dragged the head of the fallen statue through the streets.

Do not believe your lying eyes.

[The liberal media is unbelieveable. And this article writer can write that, what we watched on TV was not joyous Iraqi civilians, as was widely assumed from the TV images . Many on FR remember watching it live on FoxNews and also on the Bagdad webcams. It was wonderful to watch, regardless of writer David Zucchino's sour grapes.]

[cripplecreek]

Old story that seems to indicate that liberals are running low on conspiracies to feed the base. Like Jim McDrmotts return to the OBL being held till election time story.

[dr_who_2]

The whole invasion was stage-managed. The director's name was George W. Bush.

[TomGuy]

IIRC, the Iraqis pounded on that statue and its base for an hour or more before the military brought the tank and chain in to bring it down. Iraqis were climbing all over the statue. I remember them taking turns using a sledgehammer to pound on the base, and that was a long time before the military brought the tank/chain in.

We watched it live on the webcams.

David Zucchino is doing some historical rewriting and spinning.

[VeniVidiVici]

We watched it live on the webcams.

Proof that the media has an agenda. The video is there for all to see (I watched it myself).

Guess some have blinders on.

[bayourod]

Maybe some Army General is now trying to take credit so he can get promoted, write a book and be a consultant for CNN.

[pop-aye]

"The whole invasion was stage-managed. The director's name was George W. Bush."

If this is the case, I like his (Bush's) movie much better than the worthless moore's waste of celuloid.

[SWake]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/889563/posts

It began in the afternoon, when the crowd tried to knock the metal statue off its pedestal by chipping away at the base with sledgehammers. That didn't work. Then they tried a rope around the neck. Still no success.

Finally the Marines stepped in, with a winch on a tank recovery vehicle. The first pull brought the statue onto its stomach, dangling off its 25-foot-high pedestal as the crowd pelted it with garbage.

Note to the LA Times: If you're going to try to rewrite history, be sure to get rid of all copies of the original story.

[FredWolfe]

Just like Nick Berg was really executed by the CIA (he was wearing an orange jump suit! that proves everything!!)

Just like the CIA/Mossad was behind 9/11

Just like Bush has Bin Ladin in a cell and he's going to announce his caputre the day before the election



Leftists and their stupid conspiracy theories. This is what happens when you smoke pot and engage in gay sex all day, your brain rots and you turn into a leftist.

[Dog Gone]

Those were not Iraqis who dragged the head of the fallen statue through the streets.

It was quick thinking on the part of the army to arrange to have a little American kid there slapping the head with sandals as it was being dragged. Really, the army deserves an Oscar.

[weegee]

Maybe the LA Times would like to erect this statue on their property just like Washington state(?) has one of the statues of Uncle Joe Stalin, murderer of millions.

[Elsie]

David Zucchino is doing some   LYING!!!  historical rewriting and spinning.

---

Quit weasel-wording!

Tell it like it IS!

[weegee]

Notice how Saddam Hussein was not in an orange jumpsuit.

I think at least one of the other murdered civilians was clothed in an orange jumpsuit by his captors. makes it easier to spot them (remember that one Haliburton contractor escaped and talked to the authorities about what he saw).

[TomGuy]

I went back and looked at some of the actual FR threads for those days.

***Operation Iraqi Freedom - Situation Room - Day 21 - LIVE THREAD*** starts following the Iraqis with the sledgehammer around post #2551, and we followed the events of that day for 6,641 posts.

Diogenesis' GOTTA SEE THIS - War for Enduring Freedom 04/10/03-Baghdad, Battle/Freedom,Terrorphilic Lawyers still has some of the graphics posted that day. [Someone else on FR was keeping an 'offsite backup of the GOTTA SEE threads, so the images are still around.

One that is representative is this:



They sure look like Iraqis who are doing the pulling on the ropes, etc.

[This wasn't the statue in the webcams in Bagdad, nor does it appear to be the Marines who are pulling this one down. As various cities came under Coalition control, both the military and the civilian Iraqis pulled down statues and pictures of Hussein.]


Too bad for David Zucchino that so much video and pix of those events do exist. It makes his historical rewrite much more difficult. I can almost hear him saying "damn Internet!" [snicker]