German warnings not borne out by Iraq war

SF Chronicle ^ | May 1 | Eric Geiger

[ellery]

Munich -- POLNot so long ago, prominent German politicians were outdoing each other forecasting worst-case scenarios for the Iraq conflict. The predictions ranged from "millions of victims of U.S. rockets" to "millions of Iraqi refugees desperately fleeing the country."

While few are willing yet to eat their words publicly, the media is having a field day with the wildly inaccurate pronouncements.

[Conspiracy Guy]

"We need the Americans much more than they need us -- economically and militarily," said Willy Hasenstein, a veteran Social Democrat from Munich. "And that's why we should make peace with them."

Too late, it's going to take a whole lot of butt kissin to get us back.

[Grampa Dave]

Obviously, these Germans were infected with the severe Islamofacist Protective Virus.

This Virus rendered left wing politicians and left wing mediots totally insane before, during and after the Iraqi war.

Their insanity is obvious when a review of their insane rambling is done as in this article.

[Mister Magoo]

Morons, just complete and total morons. These predictions are so far off the mark that it is clear that a great deal of wish fulfillment is in play here.

[KantianBurke]

Television's role in molding public opinion was underscored by a recent survey of youngsters at a Meunster high school who had taken part in anti- American peace marches. None knew where Iraq is located geographically. Nor did any of them know anything about Hussein's brutal regime. All said they got their information about "the American barbarity" from German media reports -- chiefly those of ARD and ZDF.

[alnitak]

None knew where Iraq is located geographically. Nor did any of them know anything about Hussein's brutal regime. All said they got their information about "the American barbarity" from German media reports -- chiefly those of ARD and ZDF

Have German education standards dropped so much that it is producing a cohort so easily led?

None knew where Auschwitz is located geographically. Nor did any of them know anything about Himmler's brutal regime. All said they got their information about "the Russian barbarity" from German media reports -- chiefly those of Goebbels.

[johniegrad]

whole lot of butt kissin to get us back

Won't work. Something much substantial than that will have to take place and planning a LuxemFrenchBelMany army sure won't get it done either.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

"The progress of war so far is an acute embarrassment for the U.S. The Iraqis have tremendous national pride, and they fight in the name of Allah. . . . The Americans will have to bury their dreams of world domination."

I'm totally cackling with glee over here...LOL!!

[kimosabe31]

"This Virus rendered left wing politicians and left wing mediots totally insane before, during and after the Iraqi war."

Are not many of these left wing politicians former east german communists ?? After their track record of 45 years presiding as moscow puppets over east germany, instead of killing them off as the Romanians did, the germans elect them to public office. Who would expect anything other than betrayal from these bastards.

[geedee]

IMHO there's nothing that can be done to improve relations with the U.S. until these characters are gone . . .

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

"Saddam's terror was no topic for the German TV media, but criticism of America was," the study concluded. "If Americans would have watched German television during the war, and Germans would have viewed U.S. programs, their respective moods . . . would have been reversed."

That wouldn't have been too good of an idea. Firstly, the Germans wouldn't be able to cope without their daily doses of Pravda, and their heads would explode after listening to the likes of Fox News. And secondly, Americans would probably froth themselves into German killing sprees having to listen to ZDF crap day in and day out.

[Nonstatist]

We need the Americans much more than they need us -- economically and militarily

Note the difference between these statements and the arrogant, revisionist French. We can work with the pacifist Germans; however, the French are hopeless.

[Grampa Dave]

Yes, many of the communists from the Former East Germany merged with the socialists of West Germany. That has created the mess we have in Germany now.

Many of the leaders of the East Germany spy on your neighbor departments are now leaders of Germany.

[prairiebreeze]

The Americans will have to bury their dreams of world domination."

A very telling statement in an interesting and vindicating (for America) article. It occurs to me that those in the world who charge the US with aspirations such as dominating the world, evidently must also think that the US not only has the desire but the ability to do it. We've never permanently occupied anywhere.

However, if that is what they choose to believe, perhaps it's a belief that's not really so bad for us.

Prairie

[q_an_a]

You can see from this story that public media, BBC, PBS, NPR, etc. is great for brainwashing soft minds and the education system in Germany is clearly no better than America if during a crisis kids can't find the location of a country at war.

[bluesagewoman]

Nuff said.

[redbaiter]

many Germans greeted early U.S. military missteps in Iraq with "clammy joy" and "perverse partisanship."

Did I miss something here? What missteps?

[Billthedrill]

I spoke with a German friend a few days ago who spent time in both countries during the past month. It took a couple of beers to get it out of him, but what he said was sort of disturbing - something like "now I understand how Hitler could do what he did. He owned the media." I asked him if he meant that coverage in the U.S. was too one-sided and he just laughed at me. "You have no idea what it's like in Europe. No idea at all."

Well, he was right, I didn't. I guess this is what he was talking about.

[McGavin999]

You want to make ammends Germany? How about televising the truth about Saddam's regime? How about interviewing those who managed to survive the torture chambers? How about showing the mass graves?

This is the second time the German people have turned their faces from atrocities and preferred to believe a lie. What's wrong with them?

[Paradox]

Gerhard Haderer, an Austrian cartoonist also popular in Germany, said on March 29, "This war won't be decided on the battlefield, but by the images in the media. . . . A few more pictures of the totally terrified U.S. prisoners of war taken by the Iraqi, and Herr Bush and his oil billionaires can forget about their fantasies of a New World order."

Mr. Haderer, I'd like you to meet another, far more intelligent and politically meaningful Austrian: