Sniper on Palistine Hotel roof

FNC | Miamiconser

[Travis McGee]

It's sometimes damn hard to tell from the sound where a shot is coming from in a city. An echo can easily make you look at the tall cement building over yonder for the sniper you suspect is shooting your way.

So you scan the building, and see the shine of the "sniper's" optical sight.

Only just possibly, the "sniper's" scope you see shining at you is a televsion or other lens.

[Freebird Forever]

Debka didn't mention a sniper, but said that their sources told them it was an explosion set by Iraqi intelligence that killed the reporters

If that turns out to be the case, will it be considered an occurrence of friendly fire?

[YaYa123]

Amanpour was back on CNN tonight with Larry King, repeating everything she said earlier with Blitzer. At least with Blitzer, he played devil's advocate. Larry King just let her silly contentions stand. Basically, she's accusing the American military of intenionally targeting journalists. Let's not sugarcoat what the Arabic media, the leftist European media, and Christianne Amanpour are doing. They are accusing the American millitary of committing a war crime atrocity.

Former Attorney General Meese had it right on Hannity & Colmes. "War is not a spectator sport". Imagine the insanity, and the arrogance of reporters standing on their posh hotel balconies, looking down at tank warfare like it's a movie, and thinking they are immune from harm. I hope General Franks briefs tomorrow, to answer the journalists questions. This is war....let's send out the real big gun!

[m1911]

We'll probably never know the truth, unless someone comes up with a believable interview of the tank crew. In any case, today has been a PR disaster for the US. We are fighting two wars, one we can barely lose, one we can only hope for a draw. This is a major setback in the second one. Nothing like declaring air supremacy on the same day they hit three planes, splashing one, and you admit an aircrew is lost from a fourth over the weekend. I guess CENTCOM was upset that Baghdad Bob was getting all the press for being out of touch.

[Henk]

The tank commander was justified even if no fire was coming from the Palestine hotel. He may have seen someone watching him through binoculars whom he took for an artillery spotter. Or, a guy behind a camera looks a lot like a guy behind a Kornet.

Regradless, it's not that 20 year old's responsibility to babysit journalists.

[Rev. Lou Chenary]

I just happened to wake up just in time to watch that incident live.

looked like incoming shots but when that camera went down the fools should have took the message.
They were giving up strategic info and were basically warned to shut down.

There may well have been snipers shooting from that building..I'll trust the discretion of A US soldier over the word of the folks that take the word of Baghdad Bob at face value.

[honeygrl]

"That's critical information, because of course Saddam's shooters wouldn't let journalists on the roof if they were shooting weapons from there. "

Why wouldn't they? Though only a really stupid reporter would go up there with them.

[FirstFlaBn]

Any chance the TV camera has infrared focusing? If so, does the M1A1 have infrared detection for target acquisition? (The range was probably close to 1/2 mile.)

[Howlin]

Here's one!