***Operation Iraqi Freedom - Situation Room - Day 21

"Wish You Were Here"

For all the free people that still protest.
You're welcome. We protect you and you are protected by the best.
Your voice is strong and loud,
but who will fight for you? No one standing in your crowd.
We are your fathers, brothers, and sons,
wearing the boots and carrying guns.
We are the ones that leave all we own,
to make sure your future is carved in stone.
We are the ones who fight and die,
We might not be able to save the world, Well, at least we try.
We walked the paths to where we are at
and we want no choice other than that.
so when you rally your group to complain,
take a look in the back of your brain.
In order for that flag you love to fly
wars must be fought and young men must die.
We came here to fight for the ones we hold dear.
If that's not respected, we would rather stay here.
So please stop yelling, put down your signs,
and pray for those behind enemy lines.
When the conflict is over and all is well,
be thankful that we chose to go through hell.

Corporal Joshua Miles and all the boys from 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines,
Kuwait 3/9/2003

The people who call that cult of personality trappings art, are the the same people who don't WANT democratic institutions to work ANYWHERE. Our continued successes are the left's continued failures.

5,361 posted on 04/09/2003 3:30:23 PM PDT by longtermmemmory

What do you expect from people that think shallaqued (sp) cow dung is art?

BINGO! We have a winner!

Gum

5,362 posted on 04/09/2003 3:30:54 PM PDT by ChewedGum (*** Shellaque this post and Voila' - it becomes art ***)

I will never have the time to read this entire thread today, so I don't know if it was reported. This morning David Asman was anchoring when it was announced that "Combover" was going to make a statement. Asman said, "The Iraqi ambassador to the UN will make a statement soon, you know, the one who is known for his "combover"! LOL, I know David must lurk here!

5,363 posted on 04/09/2003 3:30:56 PM PDT by A Citizen Reporter

That guy who thinks the statue was "art" probably has plastic statues of Lenin in his art collection.

5,364 posted on 04/09/2003 3:30:59 PM PDT by chnsmok

(I just got this from Drudge. The Arabs just don't get it)

Arabs Shocked, Relieved at Baghdad's Fall
2 hours, 22 minutes ago

By DONNA ABU-NASR, Associated Press Writer

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - The fall of Baghdad provoked shock and disbelief Wednesday among Arabs, who expressed hope that other oppressive regimes would crumble but also disappointment that Saddam Hussein did not put up a better fight against America.

Why did he fall that way? Why so fast?" said Yemeni homemaker Umm Ahmed, tears streaming down her face. "He's a coward. Now I feel sorry for his people."

Arabs clustered at TV sets in shop windows, coffee shops, kitchens and offices to watch the astounding pictures of U.S. troops overwhelming an Arab capital for the first time ever.

Feeling betrayed and misled, some turned off their sets in disgust when jubilant crowds in Baghdad celebrated the arrival of U.S. troops.

"We discovered that all what the (Iraqi) information minister was saying was all lies," said Ali Hassan, a government employee in Cairo, Egypt. "Now no one believes Al-Jazeera anymore."

In a live report from Baghdad, correspondent Shaker Hamed of Abu Dhabi Television said:"We are all in shock. How did things come to such an end? How did U.S. tanks enter the center of the city? Where is the resistance? This collapse is puzzling. Was it the result of the collapse of communications between the commanders? Between the political leadership? How come Baghdad falls so easily."

Mohammed al-Shahhal, a 49-year-old teacher in Tripoli, Lebanon, said the scenes reminded him of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"Those who applauded the collapse of Lenin's statue for some Pepsi and hamburgers felt the hunger later on and regretted what they did," al-Shahhal said.

However, Tannous Basil, a 47-year-old cardiologist in Sidon, Lebanon, said Saddam's regime was a "dictatorship and had to go."

"I don't like the idea of having the Americans here, but we asked for it," he said. "Why don't we see the Americans going to Finland, for example? They come here because our area is filled with dictatorships like Saddam's."

Tarek al-Absi, a Yemeni university professor, was hopeful Saddam's end presaged more democracy in the region.

"This is a message for the Arab regimes, and could be the beginning of transformation in the Arab region," al-Absi said. "Without the honest help of the Western nations, the reforms will not take place in these countries."

The overwhelming emotions for many Arabs were disbelief or disillusionment after weeks of hearing Saddam's government pledge a "great victory" or fight to the death against "infidel invaders."

"We Arabs are clever only at talking," Haitham Baghdadi, 45, said bitterly in Damascus, Syria. "Where are the Iraqi weapons? Where are the Iraqi soldiers?"

Many resorted to conspiracy theories to explain the rapid collapse.

"There must have been treason," said Ahmed Salem Batmira, an Omani political analyst.

"It seems there was some deal. Saddam has put himself ahead of his people," said Yemeni government employee Saad Salem el-Faqih, 50.

Three men having tea and smoking in a coffee shop in Riyadh were unsettled as they watched the TV — even though they said they were against Saddam and felt sorry for the long-suffering Iraqis.

"I can't say that I'm happy about what's going on because these are non-Muslim forces that have gone in and I hope they will not stay," said Mohammed al-Sakkaf, a 58-year-old businessman.

Many said they were disturbed by images of U.S. troops lounging in Saddam's palaces or draping the U.S. flag around the head of a Saddam statue.

"Liberation is nobler than that," said Walid Abdul-Rahman, one of the three Saudis. "They should not be so provocative."

In Jordan, hotel receptionist Wissam Fakhoury, 28, said he was disappointed in the Baghdad crowds.

"I spit on them," he said. "Do those crowds who are saluting the Americans believe that the United States will let them live better?" Fakhoury said. Americans "will loot their oil and control their resources, leaving them nothing."

Bahraini physician Hassan Fakhro, 62, said he was saddened.

"Whatever I'm seeing is very painful because although Saddam Hussein was a dictator, he represented some kind of Arab national resistance to the foreign invaders — the Americans and the British," Fakhro said.

After an anti-war march in Khartoum, Sudan, lawyer Ali Al-Sayed said U.S. troops should not misinterpret the relief as an invitation to stay.

"Those people under oppression will not have any national feeling, so they will be happy to see someone removing a dictator and liberating them," al-Sayed said. "But the moment they feel free and liberated, they will not tolerate a foreign presence."

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, an uncomfortable U.S. ally in the war, said the quickest way to achieve stability now would be for U.S. troops to withdraw. "Iraqis must take control over of their country as fast as possible," Mubarak told Egypt's official news agency, MENA.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud, looking upset at a news conference, called for a quick end to Iraq's "occupation." In a rare departure from diplomacy, Saud responded to a question about Arab anger toward the United States with: "I don't want to talk about anger if you don't mind today."

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=540&u=/ap/20030409/ap_on_re_mi_ea/war_arabs_4&printer=1

5,365 posted on 04/09/2003 3:31:35 PM PDT by US_Pride

Ricky the whine/wine drinker's recorded piece was just on ABC Nightly Lies, Doubts and Whines with Canada Boy

5,366 posted on 04/09/2003 3:32:26 PM PDT by Fledermaus (Victory in Iraq!)

To: A Citizen Reporter

HA!
proof they lurk, unless the rest of the world adopted that name as well

5,367 posted on 04/09/2003 3:32:43 PM PDT by SoldiersGirl (Land of the Free..because of the Brave)

5,368 posted on 04/09/2003 3:33:32 PM PDT by umbagi

The problem the Arab tyrants have is a that their population is overwhelmingly young, under 25 and they aren't buying into the crap.

They have friends and relatives that live in the U.S. and Europe and they want tv's, cell phones, computers, jobs, etc.

5,369 posted on 04/09/2003 3:34:25 PM PDT by Fledermaus (Victory in Iraq!)

I guess I was wrong when I thought they had figured it out about the cam.

5,370 posted on 04/09/2003 3:34:58 PM PDT by The Hon. Galahad Threepwood

I am giving "chicken little" on the bag cam a -87 for looks----a -98 on hair and a -100 on performance. anyone else?

5,371 posted on 04/09/2003 3:35:10 PM PDT by melodie (I want my Bag Tee Veee....)

he needs a haircut, he keeps whining about it
so 92 for the hair

5,372 posted on 04/09/2003 3:35:48 PM PDT by SoldiersGirl (Land of the Free..because of the Brave)

The Nightly Liars on the networks are playing up the "looting" as a negative.

For goodness sakes, they are only taking stuff out of bloated government buildings. They deserve an office chair and some Post-Its.

I bet every home in America could have a nice home office with all the carp our government buys and don't even use.

5,373 posted on 04/09/2003 3:36:02 PM PDT by Fledermaus (Victory in Iraq!)

I don't watch that show, so I'll just say he chose the wrong song tonight!

5,374 posted on 04/09/2003 3:36:54 PM PDT by Fledermaus (Victory in Iraq!)

To: SoldiersGirl

ok..thats do-able..LOL

5,375 posted on 04/09/2003 3:37:21 PM PDT by melodie (I want my Bag Tee Veee....)

Mike GAllagher said this morning that the iraqi looting was harmless, they just want to be like Americans, and that americans could take lessons in how to loot with manners

another shouldn't be driving and listening to talk radio moment

5,376 posted on 04/09/2003 3:37:26 PM PDT by SoldiersGirl (Land of the Free..because of the Brave)

Is it a quagmire yet?

5,377 posted on 04/09/2003 3:38:17 PM PDT by dogbyte12

The In-laws....with Peter Faulk....Wonderful Movie...Surpentine Shel SURPENTINE!!!!!

5,378 posted on 04/09/2003 3:38:24 PM PDT by Conan the Librarian (I am a Librarian. I don't know anything....I just know where to look it up.)

"The problem the Arab tyrants have is a that their population is overwhelmingly young, under 25 and they aren't buying into the crap."

I know that's true, bgut in sufficient numbers to make a diffeence (i.e. enough to force the ruling class to change, because they aren't going to do so volentarily!).

5,379 posted on 04/09/2003 3:38:30 PM PDT by US_Pride

I so badly want someone in a live interview (someone who knows about the BagCam fun) to look at him and say, "Gee, Richard, your hair is awful today!"

5,380 posted on 04/09/2003 3:38:37 PM PDT by The Hon. Galahad Threepwood

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Operation Iraqi Freedom

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