Defeats dismay Arab media

The Daily Telegraph ^ | April 7, 2003 | Gerald Butt

[MadIvan]

Arab satellite news channels, broadcasting footage of advances by coalition forces on Baghdad, are beginning to question whether Saddam Hussein has put up a proper fight against the allied advances.

Throughout the Arab world there is a mood of disappointment. The initial resistance by Saddam's forces raised expectations that he would put up a tougher fight around the capital.

"Why is he letting the Arabs down now," a Lebanese caller asked a phone-in programme, "when his forces fought so bravely in the south of the country?"

A presenter on the Dubai-based al-Arabiya television network said the Iraqi leader had promised "surprises" that would inflict huge losses. "Why have we not seen the surprises?"

A military expert later wondered why the Iraqi army had not concentrated on attacking the allies' supply lines, rather than moving forces back to try to defend Baghdad. "Saddam's fedayeen should be attacking the trucks carrying food, water and fuel," he added.

"Why didn't Saddam order all the bridges to be blown up along the route to the capital?" another studio guest wondered.

Several Arab newspapers highlight the discrepancy between Iraq's assessment of the war and that of the coalition forces. "The information war is intensifying," said al-Sharq in Qatar. In Jordan, al-Rai asked "where the real truth lies amid the confusion and contradiction of the news reports?" Nevertheless, on its front page the paper's main headline read: "Iraq retakes Saddam airport."

The Lebanese daily al-Nahar went one better, saying that "Saddam led the attack to retake the airport", while Akhbar al-Khaleej in Bahrain said: "We have wiped out the invading forces at the airport."

But other Arab papers adopt a more realistic line, with al-Watan in Saudi Arabia declaring that "the Americans have taken the airport and the Iraqis have retreated into Baghdad".

Kuwait's Rai al-Am assessed the situation in three words: "Baghdad's last stand."

[Mr. Mojo]

"Saddam's fedayeen should be attacking the trucks carrying food, water...." he added.

I see. So the Iraqis' fellow Arabs in the media want their own people to starve?

[sheik yerbouty]

As it is written that not a blade of grass blows in the wind, except by the will of Allah, does it nhot follow that the defeat of the Arabs is also the will of Allah?

[Centurion2000]

When Saddam is defeated, the street will revile him as a traitor.

Actually they will call him a Jewish agent. One thing the Arab cannot do is realize that they are inferior to others.

[ConservativeConvert]

They just don't get it do they? A more clueless bunch is hard to imagine...

[MHGinTN]

A liberal friend who has been calling this Bush's war noted the reporting about the ammo bunkers and how the same thing was turning up all over Southern Iraq, tons of munitions. I whimsically noted that it was a shame Saddam hadn't spent all that money on schools and welfare programs. Now the friend is convinced this war is justified.

[APBaer]

"Their press misleads them to the heights of ecstasy and then reality falls on them. Yet they keep on believing their fake press over and over again."

Like Lucy yanking the football away from Charlie Brown just as he's going to kick it.

[Frunabulax]

Surprise, surprise, surprise!!

[timestax]

Displaced Columbia professor? 39 posted on 04/06/2003 4:44 PM PDT by Ramcat

NO DOUBT !!

[El Sordo]

Check out: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/885504/posts for what seems to be a sound reasoning of why the Iraqi army is all but impotent.

[gcruse]

I saw this addressed the other day.
You get the bridges all wired up with explosives,
which was the case on many of these bridges.
Then, you wait until all your forces are on your side of
the river to blow the bridge, before the enemy can cross.
Since this requires a knowledge of what is going on on the
battlefield and where the different forces are deployed,
the decision to blow a bridge has to come from a high
command level. With, the theory goes, the high command
decapitated at the start of the war, and understanding
the total lack of initiative bred into commanders in a
dictatorship, there was no one to give the order.
The bridges remained intact.

[Ronin]

I think I will join you.

*snicker snicker snicker*

[sourcery]

Saddam: The BagLady of BagDad

[wasp69]

In the gutter of the world, the "arab street" wakes up to realize that the truth is a motherf*&ker.

[sonofatpatcher2]

Hey Blunt,

Just went over to DU's Latest Breaking News thread for a peek. Gad, you should see a little of it:

Nambe posted: "(Dixie Chicks)...Turns out the whole thing was orchestrated by the National Republican Party. Party operatives spammed thrir (sic) email lists the day after Maines made her statement, urging them to contact radio stations."

Gad, I didn't get my e-mail!

LyndaG posted: "Natalie Maines has real courage. I read on one of those entertainment websites that she said recently that the more flak she receives for those comments, the prouder she is. Bless her!!!"

Maudlin posted: "If I were a Dixie Chick- I'd be on the phone to a lawyer right now. Either that or standing in front of a mirror naked, haven't made up my mind."

Glad I don't have to look in her mirror!

Democat posted: "...The right wing owns the media in the U.S. and the left has no chance of getting any real power until that is changed.
Even if, somehow, a Democrat could win the White House, the media would destroy them just like they tried to do to Clinton..."

Wow, is this one out to lunch!

aquart posted: "It's always been like this. The press, now the media, has never been liberal. Only the rich can afford to own a newspaper.
Reporting has always been like this. Actually, it's gotten a bit better. I had to research 1875 newspapers once and they put the editorials right into the news articles. I was quite shocked at the brazenness of it."

"a quart" new ID should add "low" at the end.

snippy posted: "There is a definite and well organized political strategy in the republican party to campaign on the basis that democrats are not good Americans. It is based on the success of the campaign to convince Germans that jews were not good Germans in the 1930's."

Yep, just like DU protests.

[jackbill]

Has anyone noticed how the Coalition Forces have changed the Republican Guards into the Democrat Guards, i.e. losers?

[Stentor]

The bridges remained intact.

True and I don't think that it helped them that Tommy Franks had his mech divisions do a Roadrunner. What's Arabic for "what was that".

[wimpycat]

That makes sense.

[RightWhale]

I even heard one not to long ago deny that the 6 day war even occurred.

More than one. Also denial of the original Arab-Israel war. Never happened.