[AmericanInTokyo]

--Upon going to the site of the civilian market bombing in northern Baghdad at Shaab today, May Ying Welch noticed that enemy officials had quickly taken away sharpnel and material from the two bomb craters "created by US missiles". They were also quickly filling up the craters when she arrived. Asked why they did not leave the remnants there as proof of American bombing of civilian areas, they were told "it might be contaminated."

--She said that enemy Iraqi TV/Radio building facility is inhabited 24 hours a day. She said that Iraqi TV is still on, but the quality is very grainy and she could not understand a thing they were saying.

--She said Iraqi officials are going door- to-door with quickly printed flyers showing a joint statement by Iraqi spiritual leaders of both the Shiite and Sunni factions, call for a "jihad" by the people on advancing Americans--that if they do not participate in the uprising they, the citizens, as muslims, 'will go to hell.'

--She said enemy government jeeps, trucks, what not, were loaded up with these flyers and they were being mass circulated throughout Baghdad neighborhoods.

--(I note from the television that the craters after the bombing attack on the civilian market were probably too small to be from the Coalition).

--Opinion: May Ying Welch was still more or less spouting the Ba'athist propaganda line, and there was little 'independence' in her reporting on the ground in Baghdad. That notwithstanding, I believe she may have seen enough and heard enough informal whispers as to what the Iraqi officials are doing and threatening, and seen the fear of the people toward their regime, that even if she began to report negatively on the Saddam regime, that she might not be able to leave Iraq or might meet an unwelcome fate.

It will be interesting to continue to hear this leftist, anti-American 'journalist's stories from the eye of the storm.

[FreeTheHostages]

Thanks. Very thoughtful post. It's interesting that she knows they picked up the remnants of the bomb so fast.

[Mystix]

"She couldn't understand a thing they were saying"

I wonder if she knows she doesn't know arab?

[The Old Hoosier]

A very, very useful idiot indeed.

[AgThorn]

I am curious, if this person is so valuable to our information gathering from the other side, why are we pointing it out here ... I mean in the spirit of "loose lips sink ships" and all.

[Mudboy Slim]

Thanks fer sharing...very interesting, imho...MUD

[Oldeconomybuyer]

bttt

[Travis McGee]

Won't the Baathists be shocked after the war to discover that Ms. Welch is a CIA deep cover agent, using micro transponders to help our air force to target Baath Party headquarters! I hope that the CIA gives her their highest heroism medal for her service in Bagdad.

[mountaineer]

May Ying Welsh is the nitwit that Wolf Blitzer spoke to at length several days ago for "on the spot" reports, as if she was a legitimate journalist. Of course, he didn't bother to mention her Marxist, anti-U.S. affiliations, and just accepted as gospel her statements that the U.S. wasn't hitting anything important with its bombs.

[finnman69]

Good pickups. They tyuly are so stupid that theya re in fact making the case for us and the majority who support this war.