Coming to a Theater Near You!
BOOM! CRACKLE! FIZZLE!
Americans love fireworks and the major media outlets (under the obvious direction of the Bush administration) banked on this when rolling out the media blitz just prior and during the “…largest air assault since 2003” in Iraq known as Operation Swarmer. The media and government were just hoping for all those visuals from wasted bombs and ammunition rounds (known to us as our tax dollars) to be plastered all over our television screens and CRTs. But, of course, just as the entire War on Iraq has transpired, Operation Swarmer was a lie and barely existed . From what I can tell, it was less exciting than a planned joint military exercise. From Time Magazine:
The press, flown in from Baghdad to this agricultural gridiron northeast of Samarra, huddled around the Iraqi officials and U.S. Army commanders who explained that the “largest air assault since 2003” in Iraq using over 50 helicopters to put 1500 Iraqi and U.S. troops on the ground had netted 48 suspected insurgents, 17 of which had already been cleared and released. The area, explained the officials, has long been suspected of being used as a base for insurgents operating in and around Samarra, the city north of Baghdad where the bombing of a sacred shrine recently sparked a wave of sectarian violence.
But contrary to what many many television networks erroneously reported, the operation was by no means the largest use of airpower since the start of the war. (“Air Assault” is a military term that refers specifically to transporting troops into an area.) In fact, there were no airstrikes and no leading insurgents were nabbed in an operation that some skeptical military analysts described as little more than a photo op. What’s more, there were no shots fired at all and the units had met no resistance, said the U.S. and Iraqi commanders.
Oh, I know it was the three year anniversary of the beginning of the Crusade and the troops needed to blow some things up to recover some morale, but, between you and me, this was the most poorly executed web of lies yet. Does it seem that the Bush administration is running out of gas? Are they running out of lies to tell? Well gone dry, President Bush? Not if there are still stupid Americans, which is exactly what they are banking on.
Don’t be stupid.
I don’t think this is as much about the Bush Admin’ lying as it’s about the media being pissed because they were fooled. I’m sure it’s quite an expense to get all those reporters in place and the media was obviously looking for a return that never came. Sounds like a bunch of petty whining to me.
Yeah, I agree with that. I know most major media outlets just have loved the idea of displaying exciting explosions and firefights, as if battles are video games with no lives at stake. The sad thing is, American consumers more often believe that this is the case and are attracted to such coverage for the fireworks. All this for the all-mighty advertising dollar?