March 20, 2003

Warcasting

ABC News just played a snippet of some Iraqi incidental teevee filler. I love the way the anchordude said, of the rather doleful martial chanting accompanying the image, "That appears to be music playing in the background..." So those years at journalism school weren't wasted!

Ooh, and they've got old man Saddam on tv. "Dear Homeland, yadda yadda, the family of Iraq, yadda yadda, Great Satan blah Glorious Victory blah." His version of a morale booster, I guess. I think he's been forgetting to apply his moustache dye lately.

More: "Light the torture in the night"? Oh -- that was the translator's accent. He was saying torches. Yeah.

I do declare Saddam is reading his own poetry. I knew it -- he's a Vogon!

If I were in Baghdad I'd be praying for a missile right now. He's talking about love and peace. He sounds like a hippy. A Vogon hippy.

Ooh -- he threw in something about "Long live Palestine." Just because.

PS: You know what sounds really weird? Cheery commercials for cars and clothes right after a speech by a nutso dictator we are trying to kill.

New: this caption appeared over the NBC broadcast a few minutes ago: "Saddam Hussein condemns shameful crimes against humanity & Iraq." You don't say.

Posted by Andrea Harris at March 20, 2003 12:36 AM
Comments

According to the Washington Post, the attack we just saw was a last-minute improvisation aimed specifically at killing Saddam based on a CIA tip, and evidently it didn't work. The target was a private residence; we may have just started off with something that will look very bad in the press.

It sounds as if this wasn't the original plan for the beginning of the war at all, so the people commenting on the unexpectedly low intensity of the strike may be premature.

Posted by: Matt McIrvin at March 20, 2003 at 01:36 AM

Considering everything just started, I think everything people are saying is premature.

Posted by: Andrea Harris at March 20, 2003 at 01:53 AM

Oh, and link? I go to the WAPO site, I just see the same pics and stories all the other sites have.

Posted by: Andrea Harris at March 20, 2003 at 01:57 AM

NBC's reporter in Baghdad said his sources told him several days ago that Saddam was pre-recording exhortations to the people. He also said that Saddam is unlikely to show up in a studio for a live broadcast, which is easily trackable. An Arabic-speaking professor who came on next said he was pretty sure Saddam was on tape.

Of course, that doesn't mean he's dead. It would be too good to be true: a three-second war.

Posted by: Joanne Jacobs at March 20, 2003 at 02:20 AM

I found this article (via Sean Kirby) -- is this the one you meant, Matt? In any case, a "private resident" with Hussein in it is a legitimate target to me. And if we got some of his government flunkeys too, or instead -- either way, I'm not crying.

Posted by: Andrea Harris at March 20, 2003 at 02:28 AM

"Residence" -- er, it's late and I really should be in bed.

Posted by: Andrea Harris at March 20, 2003 at 02:29 AM

Also providing that it really IS Saddam; seems to be a LOT of questions about whether it's him or one of his many "doubles". MB thought it was a double the second the face showed on TV.

Posted by: MommaBear at March 20, 2003 at 08:10 AM

Yeah, I'm not saying it isn't a legitimate target. But you know how someone's going to spin it.

Posted by: Matt McIrvin at March 20, 2003 at 08:38 AM

Am I the only one that thinks it's odd that Saddam can't afford a TelePrompter? Honestly, you'd figure that people might find it a bit strange to see someone flipping the pages of a notepad whilst making an important speech in this day and age...

Posted by: Paul Jané at March 20, 2003 at 11:12 AM

He spent all his money on Palestinian terrorists and missiles (the ones he doesn't have).

Posted by: Andrea Harris at March 20, 2003 at 11:14 AM

What's wrong with Vogon poetry? They have a right to say what they want in the form they want. You're just stiffling dissent. You're just a member of the V.R.W.C.! (Vogon Repression and Whupass Conspiracy)

Posted by: Eyeball at March 20, 2003 at 11:28 AM

You're damn right. Suppress the Vogons!

Posted by: Andrea Harris at March 20, 2003 at 11:51 AM

Yes. And faster, please.

Posted by: Kevin McGehee at March 20, 2003 at 01:43 PM