Al-Queda have no idea about PR

Just when the US and Bush were on the ropes about the whole Iraq prisoner abuse scandal they go and behead an innocent US citizen (not even a soldier) and video themselves doing it.

Well done chaps, you just squandered a massive PR advantage

Michael.

 

after the pictures of abuse against prisoners it's hardly surprising though.

 

Not in the same league. I'll take being blindfold, pissed on and kicked about over having my throat cut, thanks. And anyway, just like those prison guards, these guys *enjoy* doing this and don't need the slightest provocation. Remember, this really was the national sport of Afghanistan during the Taleban regime.
I think Michael has hit the nail on the head. I was enjoying Bush & Blairs' squirming and turning. But this has replaced all those uncomfortable torture headlines, and to the heartland(s) Buslair can say: look, this is what we're fighting. You don't sort these psychos out with tea and sympathy. The Mirror is going to have a hard time getting very far with its torture allegations now, I suspect (and even without this, the govt was successfully sidetracking the argument into a question of whether the photos are real or fake).

 

Joel
Im not passing judgement on who is better or worse, just that (with what we know of al quieda already) it isnt a surprise.

 

In Algeria (where I spent a year), over 50,000 people have been murdered by their fellow Muslims since the onset of fundamentalist v Govt civil war in the eighties. A large proportion of them by throat slitting - I think the idea is to express contempt for the victim, as this is also how they butcher animals for meat. No-one seems to give a toss about Algeria however...

 

Not too sure about that.

If this were aimed at recruiting people to the al quieda cause then this may have worked, it may well have worked if ment as general "raising of two fingers" to the west and non al quieda supporters in general. I fear that the West are playing catch-up to the powerful al quieda PR project, just how often do you hear of posative PR from the West that is undisputed by the people in the area (I can't think of a better word) as a whole?

Auric

 

True, but things weren't much better when they did.
The famously civilised French had a record on human rights that was beyond abysmal during the colonial war they fought and lost here.
Interestingly, the French were also very keen on taking photos of nude prisoners, dead or alive, whole or dismembered.

 

hmmm, maybe bush+blair faked the pics, so as to give advantage back to themselves and deflect flak.

 

Lt Cdr data...must admit that was my first thought when I heard about it...& who's going to try to prove it's a fake....Piers?!
What a sad world we (I?) live in..

 

well these people are clearly backward, killl anyone indiscriminate, for all the terrorists knew, he could hate his government and be trying to help out. yet he is killed just cos he is from the land that sucks satan's cock.

however, we in the west are more civilised, I wouldn't fight to keep the queen in her mansion, and mainain the class status quo, I woudln't kill a poor iraqi or german military person I had nothing against, let alone some civilian bod, just cos he was from a nation.

clearly backward people, yet I wouldn't put it past the tactics the western govts use either. they would do anything to win, really dirty game, politics.

 

Could I ask a probably-niave question?

Bush has apologised to Iraq for the *suspected* torture of PoW/hostages/call them what you will...

...but has Iraq EVER apologised for what they did to troops back in 1991?

I thought not.

Typical.

If I'm wrong, I apologise, but I don't think I am.

That said, I'm not at all happy that our troops *might* have done this to Iraqi people, but the unfortunate fact is that this does happen, and power corrupts. Plus, how many people do you know who join the army out of real choice (as opposed to not getting a job in, say, teaching, or whatever?). Let's face it, you'd have to be a moron to believe you'll never be called on to go to war if you're in the army, so you might well be joining up specifically TO "kick some arse" somewhere... Foot sloggers aren't automatically known for their einstein intellects are they? (That's a gross generalisation by the way - I'm not saying "all soldiers are thick" because I know patently that the majority are not. God - I'm not wording this well, but I think you get what I mean...

 

You miss the point, Dom. Saddam Hussein never set himself up as a paragon of righteousness, purity and morality, seeking to extend that righteousness, purity and morality to other countries and saying how TERRIFIC he was and how grateful the miserable natives ought to be for having democracy imposed on them. The current US Administration does just that, puts itself on a pedestal and looks down its nose at everyone else. If you do that, you raise the bar for yourself enormously and you look a complete fool if you don't clear it. What Saddam did or didn't in 1991 is irrelevant; the Americans are to be judged by the standard that they themselves set up, the ones that show them to be superior ethically, morally and spiritually to anyone else. And they're not doing too well.

 

CPA Iraq

Does this Long Live the New Iraq! Weekly Reports show progress or not?
Is this the good news that the media may not be too keen to show?
If not then what measures should be used?

Auric

 

Interesting that that site is still using the image of the old (pre-Saddam) Iraqi flag and not the new one that nobody likes (and looks just like the Israeli flag ). It's all gone very quiet about the flag - have they decided to can the new one?

Michael.

 

Looks like it may be the realdeal judging by the whois data.

www.iraqcoalition.org = [ 131.84.1.133 ]
Disclaimers

Domain ID: D101505546-LROR
Domain Name: IRAQCOALITION.ORG
Created On: 25-Sep-2003 19: 10: 44 UTC
Last Updated On: 23-Mar-2004 23: 22: 28 UTC
Expiration Date: 25-Sep-2005 19: 10: 44 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar: R63-LROR
Status: CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Registrant ID: 35442309-NSI
Registrant Name: Defense Technical Information
Registrant Organization: Defense Technical Information
Registrant Street1: 8725 John J. Kingman Rd.
Registrant Street2: Suite 0944
Registrant City: Fort Belvoir
Registrant State/Province: VA
Registrant Postal Code: 22060
Registrant Country: US
Registrant Email: [email protected]

Auric

 

Here is a discussion by some other people.

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/16010.html

 

One encouraging sign in this sad affair is that, according to the BBC, the victim's father and the inhabitants of his town are blaming Bush as much as they are blaming the guys who shortened him so dramatically. One is quoted as saying, "We shouldn't be there anyway." The BBC says that this community is atypical of the USA, but perhaps there's some glimmer of hope that the bunch of worthless, self-righteous, self-serving frauds, liars and humbugs currently masquerading as the current US administration (me biased?) will be kicked out in November.