Posted on 08/19/2004 10:37:51 AM PDT by HawkeyeLonewolf
PATRAS, Greece -- Iraqi midfielder Salih Sadir scored a goal here on Wednesday night, setting off a rousing celebration among the 1,500 Iraqi soccer supporters at Pampeloponnisiako Stadium. Though Iraq -- the surprise team of the Olympics -- would lose to Morocco 2-1, it hardly mattered as the Iraqis won Group D with a 2-1 record and now face Australia in the quarterfinals on Sunday.
Afterward, Sadir had a message for U.S. president George W. Bush, who is using the Iraqi Olympic team in his latest re-election campaign advertisements.
In those spots, the flags of Iraq and Afghanistan appear as a narrator says, "At this Olympics there will be two more free nations -- and two fewer terrorist regimes."
"Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign," Sadir told SI.com through a translator, speaking calmly and directly. "He can find another way to advertise himself."
(Excerpt) Read more at sportsillustrated.cnn.com ...
And if one were an Iraqi who was told they were in a Bush ad, one might want to say a similar thing to keep the terrorist off you back and your families back. These guys have to go back home and survive in Iraq. Who knows what their real feelings are.
I guess this end's our brief love affair with the Iraqi soccer team. Actually, it was more like a one-night stand.
I'd be interested too in who their new "coach" is, as well as how the "interview questions" were framed, and who the translator is...
Yours seems to be the most probable reason for this attitude. Wish he'd consider things like this account from U.S. Marine Josh Ingram ~
Excerpt:
So then we moved into an abandoned military school. We set up security right away, then we started sending out patrols and talking to people. We scouted out the schools and hospitals. We painted the schools, we gave candy to the kids and we went to the schools and gave the kids a bunch of soccer balls. It was pretty rare for a kid to have his own soccer ball.
Then they go on to bash Bush.
Don't they see the correlation? If it hadn't been for President Bush, Uday would still be torturing them.
Interesting take on this, I had not thought of it in this way. However for one of them to say if he had not been playing soccer he would be fighting the Americans does make my blood boil.
I couldn't help but notice that "CNN" owns "Sports Illustrated"! Or otherwise in charge of it! Now I "smell a rat"! I have a feeling, knowing how "CNN" is; that the truth is somehow in between. Or, there is only a small grain of truth, and a good deal of stretching and spin. There may be a few who are claiming to speak for the whole team, that are complaining about the ad.
Morons.
Too bad UDAY is not there to CUT THEIR B@lls off.
You are correct. The only people shown other than the Prez and First Lady are swimmers. The Afghan and Iraqi flags are shown along side the country names when the ad speaks of two new democracies at the games. Somebody gave these boys some bad information, not to mention the gift for them to even utter those words freely.
What images are you referring to?
"Hmmm? I'm wondering who in the Bush campaign didn't check with the Iraqi team to see if it would be okay. "
Why would anyone much less Pres. Bush need these ungrateful
players permission? That's the least they can do as thanks.
Well .. there are too many factions in Iraq to take for granted that EVERYONE loves us .. or is required to love us .. that's just not realistic.
My personal opinion: I don't think any political campaign has any right to automatically use any picture or statement of ANYONE without their permission.
Perhaps Sadir would rather Uday and Qusay were still around running the show.
He spoke through a translator, hmm? Perhaps someone ought to find out who the translator is and what he translated. I think he might have had his own interpretation.
It's entirely possible that this Sadir guy was lying through his teeth when he said it and had the rest of the team rolling their eyes. The press would be glad to report his comments with no balance. I'm going to withhold judgement (though if what he says is true, I'll be pretty miffed).
"My problems are not with the American people," says Iraqi soccer coach Adnan Hamad. "They are with what America has done in Iraq: destroy everything. The American army has killed so many people in Iraq.
In fact, Manajid says, if he were not playing soccer he would "for sure" be fighting as part of the resistance. "I want to defend my home. If a stranger invades America and the people resist, does that mean they are terrorists?"
"The war is not secure," says Hamad, 43. "Many people hate America now."
IF IT WERE NOT FOR BUSH, maybe they would not be talking to anyone at all. They should take that and choke on it!!
I'd be interested too in who their new "coach" is, as well as how the "interview questions" were framed, and who the translator is...
Interesting you bring that up - their former coach was a European - who was warned by "freedom fighters" that if he came into Iraq to coach them, he would be killed (such charming people, those freedom fighters).
I firmly believe that if they go any further than just saying they are glad Saddam is gone, and say "we are glad the US liberated Iraq", their lifespans will be measured in days.
No "freedom fighter" would standby and allow national heroes, such as the soccer players, to give any thanks or credit to the US.
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