ABC Reporter Suggests Bush To Blame For Bombing

ABC News | 8/19/03 | Martha Raddatz

[Gothmog]

First, the pertinent excerpt:

ABC News' Raddatz reporting, "Last month, President Bush said the United States had the security situation under control, and enough forces to fight.

"'There are some who feel like the conditions are such that they can attack us there,' the president said on July 2. 'My answer is "Bring 'em on." We got the force necessary to deal with the security situation.' But officials may now have to look at adding troops to the nearly 150,000 already there." (ABC News, Raddatz, 8/18/03)

Here's the rest of the article:

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/World/unbombing030819.html

New Fears U.N. Bombing Raises Concern in Iraq: Are Separate Factions Joining Forces?

By Martha Raddatz

Aug. 19— The devastating bombing at the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad comes less than two weeks after a deadly attack on the Jordanian Embassy in Iraq. Investigators are working to determine who may be responsible for this violence, and what U.S. forces can do to stop them.

Today's truck bombing was the kind of attack that U.S. intelligence officials feared was coming — bigger, bolder, aiming for mass casualties. The list of suspects is long.

"It's a complex mix of loyalists to Saddam; of Islamists who are Iraqi; of foreign volunteers; of Islamists with ties to al Qaeda," said ABCNEWS analyst Tony Cordesman, who holds the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Al Qaeda sympathizers are suspected in the Aug. 7 bombing of the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad, which left 11 people dead. Militant Syrians, Saudis and Iranians are also thought to be infiltrating the country, seeking to destabilize Iraq and drive out the Americans.

"I am certain that there are lots of different players and they are not necessarily totally united," said retired Maj. Gen. Bill Nash, former commander of the Army's 1st Armored Division and now a consultant to ABCNEWS. "But they are united in their opposition to the United States."

The administration is hoping today's bombing will rally international support. But those who carried out the attack are certainly betting that it will scare the international community away.

Trying to Understand the Pattern

Today's bombing fits into a frightening pattern of escalating violence.

"We need to understand the pattern here," said Cordesman. "It has been building up, but it has been a mixture of violent acts of terrorism, of economic sabotage, a focused looting on critical facilities, oil export facilities, attacks on U.S. soldiers and the soldiers of other countries, attacks on friendly Iraqis, intimidation and threats. All of these measures have been brought together; it's not just one pattern."

The United States has aggressively gone after the opposition, as illustrated by today's arrest of former Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, No. 20 in the deck of cards depicting the 55 most-wanted members of the former regime.

But many fear that even if Saddam Hussein is captured, the violence will not end.

"We also know that even though we talk about this decks of cards, [55] top people, there are literally tens and thousands of people in this structure," said Cordesman.

More Troops Needed?

Last month, President Bush said the United States had the security situation under control, and enough forces to fight.

"There are some who feel like the conditions are such that they can attack us there," the president said on July 2. "My answer is 'Bring 'em on.' We got the force necessary to deal with the security situation." But officials may now have to look at adding troops to the nearly 150,000 already there.

"We need to seriously consider the additional forces coming from the United States initially, but I think we also need to make the point that today's attack was an attack on the international community," said Nash.

"This was the headquarters of the United Nations, the very agency that is intended to make a better life for the Iraqi people, unquestioned by all", he said. "Therefore, I think we need to make the case to our allies and the international community at large that they are in the fight now, too."

Thus far, the United States has had little success in getting any significant number of troops from countries besides Britain to join the fight. The administration is hoping today's bombing will rally international support. But those who carried out the attack are certainly betting that it will scare the international community away.

[mombonn]

She also blamed the power outage on him last week, said that FirstEnergy made big contributions to the Republicans.

Only heard her report it once, however.

[Lexington Green]

U.N. officials at the headquarters refused heavy security because the United Nations ``did not want a large American presence outside,'' said Salim Lone, the U.N. spokesman in Baghdad. AP today

[henbane]

US occupation of Iraq is bringing Saudis and other Islamonutters out of the surrounding swamps [Syria/Iran]

It's one good way to kill mosquitos--swat them when they land on you.

A better way is to go into the swamp and spray it.

[Gothmog]

I agree with you, and I think, in conjunction w/ the Israeli homicide attack, public opinion is going to shift toward the 'screw the terrorists' side.

But, Raddatz has a nationwide TV audience, Steyn does not. Her little hit is going to have a larger effect and I predict the leftists will soon seize on her idea and repeat it -- giving it a much wider impact.

Of course, her charge has no merit. She might as well blame 9/11 on 'minorities worldwide feeling disaffected by the 2000 election.'

The terrorists were going to strike, and have been for months, whether Bush said 'bring it on' or not. But she leaves her audience with a much different opinion.

[From The Deer Stand]

That's why I don't watch ABC (Always Bull Sh**!)

[From The Deer Stand]

Correction: Always Bull Crap! I got carried away...........

[My2Cents]

Therein is the problem....the typical ABC reporter may reach more people than Mark Steyn. But I thought it was interesting that last night, Britt Hume mentioned the "flypaper" strategy of attracting the Islamofascists to Iraq to take our our military, as opposed to having them concentrate on US soil. So, the theory is out there. And if this is indeed what the Administration's aim is, we'll be hearing more about it in the future to refute the babblings of ABC reporters. (One would hope.)

[.cnI redruM]

Good propaganda and good headline fodder both make for terrible policy. I hope that people will tune this ignorant blather out.

[Petronski]

BOYCOTT DISNEY: a vortex of seductive evil™

[Eric in the Ozarks]

What a concept ! Blame him for everything.

[SunStar]

"Except for the recently built concrete wall, U.N. officials at the headquarters refused heavy security because the United Nations ``did not want a large American presence outside,'' said Salim Lone, the U.N. spokesman in Baghdad."

UN Officials Deliberately REFUSED U.S. Security in Baghdad "did not want American presence"
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/967348/posts

[FlyVet]

"The people in the U.N. building are civilians; they do not belong to armed forces or any parties to the conflict," said Wilder Tayler, the legal adviser to Human Rights Watch. "Under the terms of international humanitarian law, there is a basic rule, the principle of distinction ... between civilians and combatants. When you target directly civilians, intentionally, that is a war crime."

I don't remember this little puke chiming in when Israeli buses and buildings blow up.

[Petruchio]

Yup, Martha is a vile lefty.

And ugly too . . .

[Right_in_Virginia]

From the article~~~"But officials may now have to look at adding troops to the nearly 150,000 already there." (ABC News, Raddatz, 8/18/03)

Why? Do UN personnel now want to be seen in the company of American soldiers?

[Sender]

UN personnel would be wise to be seen BEHIND American soldiers.

[CyberAnt]

Well .. it's going to be short-lived because FOX is all over the place saying that WE offered the UN more security and THEY TURNED IT DOWN - saying they did not want a USA presence there. Now, Kofi Annan has come out saying that if the UN did that, it was the wrong decision.

Also .. Rush was saying the same thing today. The issue is dead and ABC is wasting their breath.

[Saundra Duffy]

Oh, brother.

[KC_Conspirator]

This is irresponsible reporting.

[Roughneck]

***How quickly they forget the 90's terrorist acts when they had their pockets lined with money from the dot com bubble!***

Greed, Selfishness, Pettiness. . .a few things democrat-socialists dont leave home without!

[Roughneck]

And what kind of name is "Raddatz" anyway? Sounds like some foreign-born jag-off!