May 8, 2006--Mock-Em
First there was the elaborately lit and produced video of Abu Musab a-Zarqawi looking well fed and in full command of his powers, once again urging his followers to fight on against the infidel occupiers of Iraq and confidently predicting success in the struggle. In that video, to boost his image as a warrior, there are images of him firing bursts of machine gun fire, the very picture of a skilled jihadist.
Then there were the outtakes from that taping which US forces apparently captured and eagerly distributed, among other things to mock Zaqawi because he was shown to fumble with the weapon, needing help from one of his hooded aides in order to get it to work. Even better, off camera we heard someone saying, “Go help the sheik.” (See NY Times article linked below). Can you imagine, roly-poly Abu is such a doofous!
Major General Rick Lynch, dressed to the nines in crisp, custom-made desert fatigues, and also looking as if he hasn't missed any meals, presided over the press conference, repeatedly rerunning the tape in extra slow-mo. A good time was had by all.
In the meantime, on the jump page of the Times report, we have an image of two American soldiers giving first aid to a buddy who was wounded in a roadside bombing and later died. And, the list of all US troops killed that day. Quite a juxtaposition.
Not to worry though: the same General Lynch was quoted as saying that as Zarqawi was “zooming in on Baghdad, we’re zooming in on Zarqawi. . . . It’s only a matter of time until Zarqawi is taken down. It’s not if, but when.” However, he didn’t report about if/when we’d be zooming in on Bin Laden.
According to a consultant to the Pentagon, "In Arab and Muslim societies, pride and shame are felt much more profoundly than they are in Western culture. To find video like this that can cut him down to size and discredit him is a real way of fighting terrorism."
This may or may not be true. What is true, though, is what General Lynch did not tell us--that the weapon Zarqawi is firing in an M-249 squad automatic weapon, known as an S.A.W., which is part of the American inventory of infantry weapons. And that everyone we might be wanting to influence by mocking Zarqawi would know that it was captured from American soldiers, indicating a tactical victory for the insurgents.
Then there were the outtakes from that taping which US forces apparently captured and eagerly distributed, among other things to mock Zaqawi because he was shown to fumble with the weapon, needing help from one of his hooded aides in order to get it to work. Even better, off camera we heard someone saying, “Go help the sheik.” (See NY Times article linked below). Can you imagine, roly-poly Abu is such a doofous!
Major General Rick Lynch, dressed to the nines in crisp, custom-made desert fatigues, and also looking as if he hasn't missed any meals, presided over the press conference, repeatedly rerunning the tape in extra slow-mo. A good time was had by all.
In the meantime, on the jump page of the Times report, we have an image of two American soldiers giving first aid to a buddy who was wounded in a roadside bombing and later died. And, the list of all US troops killed that day. Quite a juxtaposition.
Not to worry though: the same General Lynch was quoted as saying that as Zarqawi was “zooming in on Baghdad, we’re zooming in on Zarqawi. . . . It’s only a matter of time until Zarqawi is taken down. It’s not if, but when.” However, he didn’t report about if/when we’d be zooming in on Bin Laden.
According to a consultant to the Pentagon, "In Arab and Muslim societies, pride and shame are felt much more profoundly than they are in Western culture. To find video like this that can cut him down to size and discredit him is a real way of fighting terrorism."
This may or may not be true. What is true, though, is what General Lynch did not tell us--that the weapon Zarqawi is firing in an M-249 squad automatic weapon, known as an S.A.W., which is part of the American inventory of infantry weapons. And that everyone we might be wanting to influence by mocking Zarqawi would know that it was captured from American soldiers, indicating a tactical victory for the insurgents.
posted by Steven Zwerling at
9:59 AM
1 Comments:
Steven,
This is my very first response to a blog, and I fear that I'm screwing up. (You may already have received a note.)
Not surprisingly, what a very, very high quality blog! I've read it all and not once have been tempted to push the delete. Bravo!
I was trying to find you because of sad news. Dick Fehnel died recently and I wanted to send you the obituary in the Portland Oregonian. Let me know if you would like it.
Warm wishes to you both.
dick donovan
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