The only flaw I can see in the Army’s performance is in acknowledging an “administrative error.” Sure, it’s a minor concession — so minor it would be almost laughable if the quotes really were fake (which of course they’re not.)
Back to Main
July 26, 2005
WB: Clone Wars
Comments
Another wonderful humorous post !!
Thanks Billmon..
Posted by: Chamed Ahlabi | Jul 26 2005 19:13 utc | 1
That’s what comese from writing answers to an exam on your shirt cuff and forgetting to wash the shirt before the next exam.
Posted by: Knut Wicksell | Jul 26 2005 19:41 utc | 2
More about the Truth Tour and Graham, if anyone has been wondering.
What Ever Happened to the Truth Tour
Posted by: cowalker | Jul 26 2005 19:46 utc | 3
Maybe these “clerical errors” are only being made because our PR boys “don’t get around much any more?”
http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GG26Ak01.html
“I am not privy to the details of American military deployments, but the shift in casualty figures towards Iraqi soldiers and policemen and away from coalition personnel strongly suggest that CENTCOM is keeping Americans out of harm’s way. Sunni terrorists, both homegrown and imported, display fearful abandon in suicide attacks, and no doubt wish to kill as many Americans as they can. The fact that they are killing Iraqis instead indicates that American soldiers are holed up in their compounds out of reach.
At the beginning of 2005, the monthly rate of Iraqi casualties was the same as coalition casualties. Since then coalition casualties have fallen by half while Iraqi casualties have tripled. There is no reason for these trends to change…”
Posted by: Youth in Asia | Jul 26 2005 20:07 utc | 4
“The terrorists are attacking the infrastructure, the ISF and all of Iraq. They are enemies of religion without any sort of ethics. They have attacked my community today and I will now take the fight to the terrorists.”
What’s all thr fuss? In point of fact it’s such wonderfully common and colloquial language that I could see any number of the natives speaking this way. If these are not real quotes then all I can say is they must have been written by a damn good screenwriter with an exceptional ear for dialogue. Someone of the caliber of James Cameron.
Posted by: Julian | Jul 26 2005 20:28 utc | 5
Even satire isn’t enough to characterize an unnecessary war fought for a limited supply of future oil. Wellington said it best at the height of British power; “Great nations don’t have small wars”. But, the US is fighting the war on the cheap and the casualties are coming home with PTSD and the characteristic wound of the Iraq War; brain trauma. War’s mental wounds command new attention
“The work we did — trying to get hit so we could find the enemy — it was insane,” Staff Sgt. Mark MacPherson said. “And the guys that did the work, no one was not affected. It’s just whether you choose to admit it or not.” Just as the mute mutiny in Vietnam forced Nixon to withdraw, when the lifers start their 3rd and 4th tour in the never ending Iraq War; no matter the President nor the political party, the war will be ended.
Posted by: Jim S | Jul 26 2005 22:27 utc | 7
Reading the NRO article by Michael Graham, I had the distinct impression I was missing something. I couldn’t find the part where he interviews our brave ARVN, I mean Iraqui, allies in War on Terra. Since he was in Iraq, I thought he might have been able to find one Iraqui willing to be quoted in NRO. Must be an editing error. Their standards have cratered since WFB retired.
Posted by: Peter vE | Jul 26 2005 23:12 utc | 8
Inspired prose.
This affair reminds me of a story that a colleague back in London told of a PhD defense he attended, in Tanzania. One full chapter of the candidate’s thesis was identical to a chapter from a leading work published by a friend of my colleague. Speaking for the examiners, and as kindly as he could, he laid the original text and the thesis on the table in front of the candidate, opened each to the beginning of the tell-tale passage, and asked quietly, “How do you explain this?” The candidate looked intently at the text of the monograph, then at the text of his thesis, drew himself up, met my colleagues eyes and replied in a steady voice, “Coincidence”.
Posted by: Jassalasca Jape | Jul 27 2005 2:38 utc | 9
“Camp Mission Accomplished”
And all must have prizes…
Posted by: PeeDee | Jul 27 2005 21:31 utc | 11
Reading this a couple of days later, I was struck by the phrase “white collar soldiers” in their “relative safety” and wondered WTF that was about. Was that a reference to Paul Hackett?
Posted by: crixus | Jul 29 2005 12:00 utc | 12