Posted on 06/18/2004 10:20:44 AM PDT by OPS4
White House Suggests Media Explain Cover Up of Saddam Atrocity Video By Jeff Gannon Talon News June 18, 2004
WASHINGTON (Talon News) -- White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan denied that the White House had a role in keeping a gruesome video of atrocities committed by Saddam Hussein's regime from the media. When asked by Talon News on Thursday to explain the virtual news blackout of the horrific images of Iraqis being beheaded, tongues being cut out, and fingers being chopped off, McClellan said that he'd "leave it to the media to address those issues."
McClellan pointed out that Saddam Hussein has a long history of brutal crimes against his own people and his neighbors.
"It is important to remind people of the atrocities that Saddam Hussein's regime committed," McClellan said.
The press secretary indicated that he thought the information in the video would emerge at Saddam's trial.
"It's important to remember that this was a regime that had mass graves, torture rooms, and rape rooms, and engaged in the kinds of atrocities that no one should stand for," McClellan told Talon News. "And I don't think the Iraqi people will ever let people forget those atrocities."
The video was shown at a June 8 event at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a Washington, DC think tank. It was part of a presentation and panel discussion that included former Pentagon official Richard Perle, AEI scholar Michael Ledeen, and several victims of Saddam's torture. Those victims had recently been guests of President Bush in the Oval Office, having been brought to the United States to receive prosthetic hands to replace ones severed by the members of Iraq's brutal regime.
The four-minute video is a small fraction of the footage held by the Pentagon that documents the horrors of Saddam Hussein's regime. It is available on the AEI web site.
Television networks have yet to broadcast the video and few news outlets have reported on the video at all, instead filling their reports with details of mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
Deborah Orin, Washington Bureau Chief for the New York Post, reported that the New York Times has written 177 stories on Abu Ghraib -- over 40 of them on the front page, but have yet to write a single story about the victims who participated in the AEI event.
One of the victims, 47 year-old Hassam Ghadar Kavam, said, "I feel very disappointed that the media till now didn't show Saddam's crimes against humanity. These type of actions or crimes, by themselves, they should be enough to silence those who defend Saddam Hussein."
He added, "I question why we see only these films in special projections in special meetings and not be open to the public for the rest of the people to see it, and I hope that will happen soon."
Another of the men, Nazar Abdul Rava Jhudi, a 41 year-old Baghdad resident, warned that many of those who committed atrocities are still at large.
"They took our hands. They amputated parts, and they took it to be shown to Saddam Hussein directly," Jhudi said. "[T]hey are the same people who are killing the American soldiers right now."
The Abu Ghraib photos have obscured the prison's nightmarish past, only mentioned in passing by the Western media. Few Americans or Iraqis are aware that under Saddam Hussein, some 30,000 people were executed there and countless more were tortured and mutilated.
Veronique Rodman, a spokesman for AEI, told Talon News that the event was lightly attended, despite their usual process that directly contacts over 40 assignment desks of national news organizations. Rodman did not recall exactly which news agencies sent reporters at the time of the interview, but did mention that Al Jazeera sent a cameraman.
Perle commented on the sparse attendance, saying, "I've been in many meetings related to Iraq over the last few years. This room was generally full and the room next to it full. It isn't today. I think it's obvious that the interest on the part of the press in this story is a good deal less than the interest on the part of the press in other stories, including obviously stories about Abu Ghraib today."
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) addressed the subject of media bias in a press release following his recent visit to the newly liberated country of 25 million people.
He said, "I can assure you that you're not getting a balanced perspective from the media."
King is concerned about the demoralizing effect on American troops of the negative reporting on Iraq.
King reported that Chief Warrant Officer Alan Ruzicka of Cedar Rapids told him, "U.S. public support is the most important weapon our troops can have. We'll win this faster if we can get the media to follow the traditional Iowa way-straight up-the black and white truth."
King also quoted Captain Ken Richards of Des Moines as saying, "The U.S. news media is the only ally of al Qaeda and the insurgents."
The Iowa congressman said, "While our soldiers are in the Middle East fighting the worldwide war on terror, the liberal press corps is acting as the enemy within."
King believes that the media is determined to defeat President Bush, even at the cost of losing the war in Iraq and consequently the war on terror.
He said, "We can lose this war, and if it is lost, it will be lost at home, not in Iraq. All it takes is for the American public to lose faith in our leaders and our cause."
Copyright © 2004 Talon News -- All rights reserved.
Thank You and God BLess America! Ops4 Reports
The AQ/Iraq connection according to the NYT in 1998 (NYT, 1998 and again in 2004)
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1155977/posts
How the Networks Pretend to Ignore their own reporting from the 1990's (MRC, June 2004)
http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2004/cyb20040617.asp
Take the White House Press Corp, put bags on their heads, send them to Iraq for some naked twister games
We know Saddam worked with the PLO and other terrorists, he funded them. He at LEAST knew that 9/11 was coming.
Less than two months before 9/11/01, the state-controlled Iraqi newspaper “Al-Nasiriya” carried a column headlined, “American, an Obsession called Osama Bin Ladin.” (July 21, 2001)
In the piece, Baath Party writer Naeem Abd Muhalhal predicted that bin Laden would attack the US “with the seriousness of the Bedouin of the desert about the way he will try to bomb the Pentagon after he destroys the White House.”
The same state-approved column also insisted that bin Laden “will strike America on the arm that is already hurting,” and that the US “will curse the memory of Frank Sinatra every time he hears his songs” – an apparent reference to the Sinatra classic, “New York, New York”.
(Link below)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1106657/posts?page=1
List of newspaper article in the 90's which mention the world's concern regarding the growing relationship between OBL and Saddam: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/946809/posts?page=1
Son of Saddam coordinates OBL activities:http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/951911/posts
The AQ connection (excellent):http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/944617/posts?page=2
Western Nightmare: http://www.guardian.co.uk/alqaida/story/0,12469,798270,00.html
Saddam's link to OBL: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/866105/posts
NYT: Iraq and AQ agree to cooperate: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/985906/posts
Document linking them: http://tennessean.com/nation-world/archives/03/06/34908297.shtml?Element_ID=34908297
Iraq and terrorism - no doubt about it: http://www.nationalreview.com/robbins/robbins091903.asp
A federal judge rules there are links:http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/986293/posts
Wall Street Journal on Iraq and AQ:http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/987129/posts
Iraq and Iran contact OBL: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/981055/posts
More evidence: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2003%2F04%2F27%2Fwalq27.xml
Saddam's AQ connection: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/969032/posts
Further connections: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1007969/posts
What a court of law said about the connections:
http://usinfo.state.gov/topical/pol/terror/98110402.htm
Some miscellaneous stuff on connections:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/989201/posts
Saddam's Ambassador to Al Qaeda: (February 2004, Weekly Standard)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1083778/posts
Yes - it's NewsMax but loaded with interesting bullet points.
http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/1097521/posts?page=1
Saddam's Fingerprints on NY Bombing (Wall Street Journal, June 1993)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1115387/posts
Colin Powell: Iraq and AQ Partners for Years (CNN, February 2003)
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/02/05/sprj.irq.alqaeda.links/
The Iraq-Al Qaeda Connections (September 2003, Richard Miniter)
http://www.techcentralstation.com/092503F.html
Oil for Food Scandal Ties Iraq and Al Qaeda (June 2003)
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1125899/posts
Saddam and OBL Make a Pact (The New Yorker, February 2003):
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?030210fa_fact
Al Qaeda's Poison Gas (Wall Street Journal, April 2004):
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110005016
Wolfowitz Says Saddam behind 9/11 Attacks:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/921398/posts
Saddam behind first WTC attack - PBS, Laurie Mylroie:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/gunning/interviews/mylroie.html
Growing Evidence of Saddam and Al Qaeda Link, The Weekly Standard, July 2003:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/946997/posts
Qusay Hussein Coordinated Iraq special operations with Bin Laden Terrorist Activities, Yossef Bodansky, National Press Club
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/951911/posts
The Western Nightmare: Saddam and Bin Laden vs. the Rest of the World, The Guardian Unlimited:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/alqaida/story/0,12469,798270,00.html
Saddam Link to Bin Laden, Julian Borger, The Guardian, February 1999
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/866105/posts
The Al Qaeda Connection, The Weekly Standard, July 2003
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/944617/posts?page=2
Cheney lectures Russert on Iraq/911 Link, September 2003:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/982713/posts
No Question About It, National Review, September 2003
http://www.nationalreview.com/robbins/robbins091903.asp
Iraq: A Federal Judges Point of View
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/986293/posts
Mohammed's Account links Iraq to 9/11 and OKC:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/987075/posts
Free Republic Thread that mentions so me books Freepers might be interested in on this topic:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/977221/posts?page=8
The Proof that Saddam Worked with AQ, The Telegraph, April 2003:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2003%2F04%2F27%2Fwalq27.xml
Saddam's AQ Connection, The Weekly Standard, September 2003
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/969032/posts
September 11 Victims Sue Iraq:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2237332.stm
Osama's Best Friend: The Further Connections Between Al Qaeda and Saddam, The Weekly Standard, November 2003
Terrorist Behind 9/11 Attacks Trained by Saddam, The Telegraph, December 2003
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1007969/posts
James Woolsey Links Iraq and AQ, CNN Interview, March 2004, Also see Posts #34 and #35
http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/1104121/posts
A Geocities Interesting Web Site with maps and connections:
http://www.geocities.com/republican_strategist/Iraq-Bin-Laden.html
Bin Laden indicted in federal court, read down to find information that Bin Laden agreed to not attack Iraq and to work cooperatively with Iraq:
http://usinfo.state.gov/topical/pol/terror/98110402.htm
Case Closed, The Weekly Standard, November 03
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/378fmxyz.asp
CBS - Lawsuit: Iraq involved in 9/11:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/05/september11/main520874.shtml
Exploring Iraq's Involvement in pre-9/11 Acts, The Indianapolis Star:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/746225/posts
The Iraq/AQ Connection: Richard Minister again
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/989201/posts
Militia Defector says Baghdad trained Al Qaeda fighters in chemical weapons, July 2002
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/743892/posts
The Clinton View of Iraq/AQ Ties, The Weekly Standard, December 2003
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/527uwabl.asp
Saddam Controlled the Camps (Iraq/AQ Ties): The London Observer, November 01
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/741676/posts
Saddam's Terror Ties that Critics Ignore, National Review, October 2003:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1005579/posts
Tape Shows General Wesley Clark linking Iraq and AQ:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1056113/posts
Freeper list of links between AQ and Iraq:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/850346/posts
Salman Pak (Aviation Weekly)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/865435/posts
Another freeper resource - list of links between OBL and Saddam:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/838309/posts
Saddam/911 Link (FrontPage Magazine, Laurie Mylroie, May 2004):
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1133317/posts
Bush says Zarqawi killed Berg, cites Saddam ties (Reuters, May 2004)
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1136076/posts
The Connections (May 2004, The Weekly Standard)
New Information:http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/1144123/posts?page=11
Saddam's role in 9/11. (Freeper book, May 2004)
http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/1144699/posts?page=5
Entire link and Post #5 - Clinton mentioned how AQ was developing a relationship with Iraq.
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1145787/posts
The House of Representatives read into the congressional record the ties that Saddam had to Osama bin Laden (read down and open links in the record): June 2004
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/B?r108:@FIELD(FLD003+h)+@FIELD(DDATE+20040601)
Exploring the links between 9/11 and Iraq (Richard Miniter, June 2004)
http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/1146319/posts?page=1
The Terrorist behind 9/11 was trained by Saddam (The Telegraph, 12/03)
http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/1146356/posts?page=1
New Iraqi Chief Links 9/11 to Saddam (June 2004, NewsMax)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1146579/posts?page=1
Increasing evidence of Saddam's ties to 9/11 and AQ (National Review, June 2004)
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1146984/posts
Pre Bush Timeline of Saddam/OBL Ties (Freeper research):
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1152923/posts?page=1
Cheney claims Iraq/AQ connections (June 2004)
http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/1153781/posts?page=20
FR needs an online tv station. It would definitely help get stuff like this out.
If anything makes America look bad, then the media will play it 24/7.
Anything that shows that America is the City in the Hill, the Light of the World, and the Hope of the Oppressed must be given short play.
Another atrocity..Johnson has been executed by his captors Fox says tentatively....
"Deborah Orin, Washington Bureau Chief for the New York Post, reported that the New York Times has written 177 stories on Abu Ghraib -- over 40 of them on the front page, but have yet to write a single story about the victims who participated in the AEI event. "
Contrast this with the 28 front page stories run by the NY Times about Watergate....and its impossible not to conclude the media has launched an all out war on this Administration, and more importantly, has decided truth is to be avoided if it might be counter to the political agenda of the Fourth Estate.
Its a scary time when the media marches in lockstep on false data, inaccurate portrayals, deceit, and flat out lying to the American People. This makes HUAC look tame.
It has been all over all the newspapers for two days. This is WILLFUL MALICIOUS INTENT on the part of the New York TImes, The L.A.TImes and any other papers running this hate campaign against President Bush. THey should be boycotted bigtime and their names be out there everywhere expouding WILLFUL MALICIOUS INTENT of the news. These people who run these papers are anti Americans and hate this country.
People need to see what real torture looks like, not the panties on the head torture-lite the media has been showing.
Oh, dear. No. Horrible news. Prayers for his family.
great links
Want to repeat this one..alreay on the thread: http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2004/cyb20040617.asp#1
That needs its own thread with an easy to remember title.
Great resource.
Awful.
The sad thing is, when I first saw the video the other day, I knew he would be a dead man today....there was just no way he would be found in time.
Prayers for the family...
I've posted it in breaking news before and it's gotten moved to chat because it doesn't have a media link of some sort.
It's on my bookmarks under "Saddam knew 9/11 was coming and colluded with OBL for over a decade".
LINKS LINKS LINKS BUMP!
The "mainstream" isn't interested. It doesn't fit the pig liberal agenda.
Seriously guys, can we elect this guy to the Senate SOON?
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan denied that the White House had a role in keeping a gruesome video of atrocities committed by Saddam Hussein's regime from the media. When asked by Talon News on Thursday to explain the virtual news blackout of the horrific images of Iraqis being beheaded, tongues being cut out, and fingers being chopped off, McClellan said that he'd "leave it to the media to address those issues."
Also here:
REPORTING FOR THE ENEMY (NY Post - 6/16/04)
Yet, as of yesterday, the New York Times had written 177 stories on Abu Ghraib — with over 40 on the front page. The self-proclaimed "paper of record" hadn't written a single story about those seven Iraqi men.
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