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Iraqi athletes object to Bush campaign ad
MSNBC website ^ | 8.22.04 | Reuters

Posted on 08/21/2004 10:42:15 PM PDT by M. Peach

Soccer players say president shouldn't exploit their success Updated: 10:15 p.m. ET Aug. 21, 2004ATHENS, Greece -

Iraqi soccer players reacted angrily Friday after being told that their nation's Olympic participation was mentioned in TV commercial by the re-election campaign for President Bush.

The players called on Bush to stop using them to win votes in the United States. “Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign,” midfielder Salih Sadir was quoted as saying. “He can find another way to advertise himself.”

However, the Iraqi Olympic delegation accused journalists of deliberately provoking an angry response from their players. “Our purpose is not to politicize the football team in any way,”

Mark Clark, a consultant for the Iraqi Olympic Committee, said. “It seems the story was engineered.”

The flags of Iraq and Afghanistan appear in the Bush commercial ahead of the Republican National Convention, to be held in September.

A narrator says: “At this Olympics there will be two more free nations—and two fewer terrorist regimes.”

Another Iraqi player asked: “How will (Bush) meet his God having slaughtered so many men and women? He has committed so many crimes.”

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: atheletes; bush; iraq; iraqiathletes; olympics; salihsadir
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Can you believe this? I guess they prefer the coaching and motivational techniques of Uday and Qusay...
1 posted on 08/21/2004 10:42:16 PM PDT by M. Peach
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To: M. Peach
Try reading beyond the headline:

However, the Iraqi Olympic delegation accused journalists of deliberately provoking an angry response from their players. “Our purpose is not to politicize the football team in any way,” Mark Clark, a consultant for the Iraqi Olympic Committee, said. “It seems the story was engineered.”

2 posted on 08/21/2004 10:43:17 PM PDT by ambrose (http://www.swiftvets.com/)
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To: M. Peach

DUDE _ DUDETTE this is OLD news


3 posted on 08/21/2004 10:44:40 PM PDT by KQQL
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To: M. Peach

Ungrateful sons of bitches.


4 posted on 08/21/2004 10:45:59 PM PDT by doug from upland (John Kerry is a sports fan like Lorena Bobbitt is a surgeon)
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To: ambrose

Read the rest of the comments by the atheletes. I don't think they can be misconstrued. I think Mark Clark was trying to make light of the whole situation.


5 posted on 08/21/2004 10:46:03 PM PDT by M. Peach (eschew obfuscation)
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To: M. Peach

Well, it is easy for them to talk...now. They have Americanized quite quickly in the fashion of exercising freedom of speech against those who help maintain it.


6 posted on 08/21/2004 10:46:46 PM PDT by Ruth A.
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To: M. Peach

If you read the whole article, it implies that journalists manipulated the players and the story.

It is the first fair report of the incident that I have seen since it was first reported.


7 posted on 08/21/2004 10:46:54 PM PDT by coconutt2000
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To: KQQL

"Updated: 10:15 p.m. ET Aug. 21, 2004ATHENS, Greece "

Damn - you must have a pretty fast internet connection...


8 posted on 08/21/2004 10:47:36 PM PDT by M. Peach (eschew obfuscation)
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To: M. Peach
Who cares what they think? I am just appalled at the freaking headlines I am seeing tonight. The media is spinning their heads off for Kerry! Is this really happening? Book burnings, lawsuits, cartoons of Bush with a gun pointed at him, blah, blah, blah. This nation is under siege by some pretty scary groups.
9 posted on 08/21/2004 10:47:41 PM PDT by ladyinred (What if the hokey pokey IS what it's all about?)
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To: coconutt2000

I did read it, and I find it hard to misconstrue their feelings.


10 posted on 08/21/2004 10:48:51 PM PDT by M. Peach (eschew obfuscation)
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To: doug from upland

Why is it that you distrust the media in so many other contexts, but take their reporting here at face value?

I had read that the only players they interviewed were from Fallujah. There are also a number of Kurds on this team.


11 posted on 08/21/2004 10:49:09 PM PDT by ambrose (http://www.swiftvets.com/)
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To: M. Peach

Iraqis are scum.


12 posted on 08/21/2004 10:49:29 PM PDT by montag813
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To: M. Peach

Give them an "F"!
Give them a "U"!


13 posted on 08/21/2004 10:50:19 PM PDT by MistrX
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To: ladyinred

I hear what you say. Since Clinton - I feel like I've been living in the Twilight Zone - it all seems so surreal...


14 posted on 08/21/2004 10:50:23 PM PDT by M. Peach (eschew obfuscation)
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To: M. Peach

READ THIS -- the guys didn't even play!

http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/

IRAQ THE MODEL
Saturday, August 21, 2004

Hurray!
Iraqi football team won against Australia 1-0 to reach the semifinal for the first time in Iraq's history. Now we are going to play for a medal! Iraq has one medal only in her Olypic record; a bronze one that we won in weight-lifting back in 1960.

This is the *BEST* acheivment Iraq has ever acheived in soccer. Strange isn't it!? Not to me! I really expected that despite the difficult life in Iraq that our athletes were going to perform better than ever, and I believe it's the effect of freedom.

Right now there is lots of shooting into the air (I don't like it but at least Iraqis are happy and it's better to waste bullets this way).

I know some of our American friends are upset with the Iraqi team because of the latest comments of some players, but this is Iraq, not 1 or 2 players and the player who said these terrible words didn't even play! I wish you could forget that idiot and join us in our celebrations, as the truth must be said, it's a victory that you helped in in so many ways.


- posted by Omar @ 20:57
Comments (410)


15 posted on 08/21/2004 10:50:44 PM PDT by NavySEAL F-16 (Proud to be a Reagan Republican)
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To: ladyinred
This nation is under siege by some pretty scary groups.

It sure as he!! is.

16 posted on 08/21/2004 10:51:10 PM PDT by MamaLucci (Libs, want answers on 911? Ask Clinton why he met with Monica more than with his CIA director.)
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To: doug from upland

Japanese like the US because we nuked them...


17 posted on 08/21/2004 10:51:30 PM PDT by KQQL
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To: doug from upland

Japanese like the US because we nuked them...


We can't even get rid of a stupid MUlla Sadr


18 posted on 08/21/2004 10:52:07 PM PDT by KQQL
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J FinK: "Look Lovey,

The Iraqi's can't even tie their shoes correctly without Uday and Qusay's help.

Should we loan them my valet?"
19 posted on 08/21/2004 10:52:24 PM PDT by Future Useless Eater (FreedomLoving_Engineer)
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To: ambrose

Okay, some of them might be ungrateful sons of bitches but I'll wait until it is verified.


20 posted on 08/21/2004 10:52:31 PM PDT by doug from upland (John Kerry is a sports fan like Lorena Bobbitt is a surgeon)
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