Iraq: U-2 Confrontation Was Mistake

AP | 3/11/03

[EggsAckley]

"wull-ah, wull-ah, it not our fault. Beeg muhstake......"

[Sam's Army]

Why don't the U-2's have air support to prevent this?

[PhiKapMom]

Mar 11, 2003 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq said an aerial confrontation between U.S. surveillance planes and Iraqi fighter jets was a "technical mistake" resulting from a mistake on the part of U.N. weapons inspectors, who have apologized to Iraq. (from article)

This is absolutely ridiculous! Iraqi's asked UMOVIC to suspend the flight. Rumsfeld just said he would not put Iraq on the cooperating side of the ledger for Iraq.

[2oakes]

Further U-2 and Mirage reconnaissance fights are planned, the spokesman, Ewen Buchanan, said.

So its war then...

[Frank_Discussion]

What exactly did me do wrong here? There's now prohibition on multiple flights, so whether it scared the Iraqi's or not, they shouldn't be targeting us.

I reeeeaally don't understand.

[Junior]

Why don't the U-2's have air support to prevent this?

With what would you escort it? It's kind of hard to fly escort to a plane that flies higher than just about any plane in the world.

[gridlock]

Typical AP balance and fairness:

Iraqi accusation in the Headline
Iraqi accusation repeated in first paragraph.
US statement, not really on point in second paragraph.
Iraqi accusation repeated and aplified in third thru seventh paragraph.
Iraqi bluster inserted into eighth paragraph.
Remainder of the article concerned with mealy-mouthed excuses from UNMOVIC.

[jerod]

Grovel Hanz - Grovel, I tell you.

Now, bark like a dog. Woof! Woof!

[Freakazoid]

Splash the bogeys, next time.

[trebb]

And one of the inspectors was heard to say, "You idiot! Those crazy war-mongering Americans don't need any more reason to crush you. Claim it was all a mistake and we'll back you up on the lie. Hell, what's one more lie?"

[Eric in the Ozarks]

'...the mistake will not be repeated."

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

LOl and next Saddams golden palaces while his people starve will be said to be 'a mistake.'

[El Gato]

Why don't the U-2's have air support to prevent this?

Because technically speaking the escorts would be committing an act of war. The U-2 flights are UN sanctioned, with Iraqi agreement. The escorts would be US military aircraft intruding in Iraqi airspace. The U-2s are flying over what little (about 1/3) of the country isn't in a "no fly" zone. We and the Brits fly in the no fly zone under the terms of the armistice that ended the Gulf War, phase I, and thus are not flying over sovereign territory without permision of the locals.

That said, air "cover" would be still be a good idea, screw the UN and the Iraqis. Of course the "cover" would of necessity fly under the U-2s, because other aircraft can't fly as high as a U-2 routinely operates. In fact I'm sort of surpised a fighter can present a threat to a U-2, although I guess a Mig-25 or -29 with one of those big hulking Russian/Soviet missles could probably reach out and touch it.

[montomike]

How much more crap is the United States going to take from Iraq, the UN, the antiBush demonstrators(they would have no problem if President Bush's name ended in a D), France, Russia, the little gnat countries on the Security Council, Islam...etc?

Bush should just get on with it. Someone needs a bitch slappin' and Hussein is available. If the United States backs down from this, we lose what little face we have. Execute the punitive action, remove ourselves from the UN, and bring the boys home once all and I do mean all of Iraq's weapons are destroyed.

Then we can bring France and Germany up on war crime charges for supplying arms and expertise to Hussein.

[Kozak]

With what would you escort it? It's kind of hard to fly escort to a plane that flies higher than just about any plane in the world

You fly the escort with f 15's tasked to stay in the airspace beneath the U2 ( with AWAC's direction) and intercept any bogies that try to get near the U2's. Use F-14 tomcats and you could put a nice 200 mile bubble around the spy planes.

[ARCADIA]

I suspect that we will be putting air cover in place shortly.

[GreyWolf]

With what would you escort it? It's kind of hard to fly escort to a plane that flies higher than just about any plane in the world.

Sooooooo, the U-2s should cross the border 1000 feet higher than the Iraqi fighters stall altitude and hope they try to come after them. Wait, make that 5000 feet just to keep them from firing a missle at you at their peak.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[YOMO]

So Blix's Boyz first can't see missles, then chemical shells, then drones, but wait, that is not enough. Now his crew is trying to get us shot down?
Total revulsion over "Simple" mistake made by "Simple" men.