Posted on 03/24/2003 4:27:43 PM PST by swarthyguy
We don't have the heart to make merciless fun of this particular ABC-TV journalist, given that he appeared exhausted, puffy-faced, and filthy, but we have to say something. He was very, very upset that the British had told him the vicinity of Safwan was clear, but he came across some mines [gulp] up road and heard some gunfire [horrors]. He was also very, very upset that instead of being greeted as a liberator, he was called a Satan by members of the public at Safwan, who pushed him on why the promised food, aid, etc. had not arrived, and why had the US come in the first place?
Lets take the security issue first. When the military, who has just fought a battle, says an area is secure, it does not mean that our reporter can take his girl friend and her mother for a stroll. It means that the area is relatively safe for alert, heavily-armed troops. People may still be shooting guns: sniping at the invaders, fighting amongst each other, perhaps the allies firing at a threat, actual or perceived, all of this could be happening. Its not the military's job to clear mines along a road they are not using so that our journalist can wander about. Frequently, mines are not cleared and following people don't get the word. There could be any number of reasons for the mines and shooting. No one has lied to our journalist; its only he doesn't understand what he is about, and obviously the military has no time to educate him.
Now re the lack of rejoicing. He is among Shias, who have suffered grievously at Saddam's hands. They have no clue as to what is happening. For all they know, Saddam's men will arrive once the allied troops are gone and scores will be settled - as they have been before. They have genuine questions about allied motives - no one as yet has had the time to tell the locals about the Big Picture, the Big Plan. As for the aid, well, the last we heard, the allies are fighting a war. Twenty-four hours after Safwan is cleared, its a bit unrealistic to expect aid to arrive. Perhaps our journalist was expecting Paris 1944? He needs to grow up.
The 3rd Mechanized Division And All That
The US 3rd Mechanized Division is set to make the fastest advance in history. Patton would have been proud. Its true the Americans have enormous firepower on call should they run into trouble. But also, for the first time in the history of warfare, the battlefield is completely transparent to the attacker. That makes a big difference. Still, the American plan is bold. Your enemy may be third class, it nonetheless takes a lot of courage to send a single division with another following up and a third setting up, all the way to Baghdad. The US military had become terribly risk-averse after Vietnam. Now it has shown it can take risks again.
And a nice tribute to the USMilitary and the Third.
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