Posted on 03/07/2005 12:43:57 PM PST by cyncooper
WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday said it was "absurd" for a former hostage in Iraq (search) to charge that U.S. military forces may have deliberately targeted her car as she was being rushed to freedom.
~snip~
Responding to Sgrena's statement that the car may have been deliberately targeted, McClellan said. "It's absurd to make any such suggestion, that our men and women in uniform would deliberately target innocent civilians.
"That's just absurd," McClellan repeated.
He said the airport road "has been a place where suicide car bombers have launched attacks. It's been a place where regime elements have fired upon coalition forces. It is a dangerous road and it is a combat zone that our coalition forces are in. Oftentimes, they have to make split second decisions to protect their own security."
~snip~
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
The above is an example of why I hold my high opinion.
Ping thank you
Agreed.
Yes he did an excellent job today. There's been a very good possiblity from the beginning this 'hostage taking' was staged, and I'm surprised she didn't come up with an even wilder accusation against the US.
It's been said that the Italian government paid the terrorists as much as ten million dollars in ransom for this journalist. If so, the Italians probably were trying to do this whole operation covertly, without informing the US, most likely because the US would object.
Once you start paying ransom you create a powerful incentive for terrorists to take more hostages.
If the US was kept in the dark about this whole maneuver, then the US soldiers had no choice but to intervene with a car that came zooming at them on a highway where other US soldiers have died from car bombs.
More pointless hysteria from the Left. It gets really old.
"That's just absurd," McClellan repeated.
I was very relieved to hear that. She'll be outed for lying about this whole situation. The fact that Italy paid a ransom for this b-word is bad enough!
The MSM will drag this out all week for the ratings, but the truth will come out in the end.
That is exactly what I heard Brett Baier report on Fox...that the U.S. is almost 100% certain a ransom was paid and the deal was kept from us because they knew we would object.
Baier was not confirming this in fact happened, but the suspicion many of us had is indeed shared by the administration and when they verify it we will hear about it.
Bumping for a later read. Thanks.
The Italians took a calculated risk, lost, and paid the price.
I bet at this point the Italian government wants a refund.
Has there been any statement from the other survivors in the car re: The details of the events leading up to the shooting? This reporter makes some strong claims that these others should be able to refute - And they aren't reporters for a Left Wing Rag with an agenda. That's why I suspect the truth will emerge soon.
How come I get the feeling that an e-mail between Eason Jordan and Il Manifesto will come to light showing that this was coordinated and setup?
Probably because I'm so cynical about anything the media claims?
The blood of that agent is on her hands. End of story. She's a pig.
No problem, as long as it takes the focus off of any network news anchors who may or may not be retiring this week.
I have not heard what they've had to say or who, if anybody, has spoken to them.
I have no doubt the U.S. will do a thorough investigation and I, too, am very interested in how their story comports with the several versions the Italian woman has given.
It really is awful and PM Berlusconi has been such an ally, I wonder if this scheme was concocted without his knowledge. My guess is he was kept in the dark.
Gosh, but the media has always been so fair and balanced, concentrating on only reporting the news, not creating it from whole cloth. Everyone knows nobody in the mass media would ever lie to the public!
(must go bathe in bleach now)
Absurd, indeed! NO need to apologize, I'm kinda irritated that Bush did apologize and now wants a full investigation, nothing to investigate except for the idea that this woman LIED!
I believe you're on to something. This would be the perfect opportunity to weaken his position.
This whole thing stinks and reeks of a set up by this communist bitch, her newspaper, communists and the Islamofascists.
This is like the Yellowcake, Wilson/Plame scam.
The reeking scent of George $oreA$$ is coming out of Iraq as a possible mastermind, financial backer and coordinator of this scam.
Plus, that ransom money is hard cash that can be used to buy things that aren't readily available without money. Just as an example, they may have plenty of shells to explode anywhere they want, but cell phones to blow them up cost real money.
No wonder we would object. That money is being used to kill our sons, fathers and brothers.
Yes, he is good. Had I been the one to make the statement, I'd have been far less kind. Very diplomatic guy, but he gets the point across.
"The MSM will drag this out all week for the ratings, but the truth will come out in the end. "
All the while they will insist that they "support our troops".
Hippocrites!
(I really felt the need to change my "tag", sorry for the interruption!)
"Has there been any statement from the other survivors in the car re: The details of the events leading up to the shooting? "
That's been my question. According to the story, there was a driver and at least one other agent who survived. Where are they?
"How come I get the feeling that an e-mail between Eason Jordan and Il Manifesto will come to light showing that this was coordinated and setup?"
It certainly is too much to be coincidence. I agree, the "story" flunks the smell test, bigtime.
No, certain responses are obligatory. But they in no way imply that we won't get to the truth in our investigation.
I just hope we make the findings public for all the world to see. Looks to me like Berlusconi has a shark in his swimming pool.
Sgrena's statement that the car may have been deliberately targeted
Excuse me...the car MAY have been deliberately targeted???????
Was it or wasn't it????????
What's the REAL story beside this absurd tale of attack on our brave soldiers and why are there so many so anxious to believe this person???????
Another blatant and empty attack on the United States.
I won't say what I would like but....I believe our soldiers. PERIOD!!!!
LOL!
I'll bring several gallons, and setup a decon station for us and anyone else who needs to decon after that.
*sign on door: Official FR 'after media' decon station*
Sometimes I fear I'm not cynical ENOUGH.
Has Eason Jordon demanded his job back yet?
Definitely.
It's just way too coincidental and too 'made for propaganda' in it's coreography.
It just seems as if it was hand crafted and planned.
Not that I am aware of.
And even if he does demand it back, he still deserves to be told to take a long walk off a short pier.
Has anyone heard if the bullets that killed the agent and wounded the "reporter" came from the same gun? Further was the agent checked for powder burns and was the "reporter" checked for powder burns. Did the bullets, if any were recovered, come from the agents gun assuming he was armed? How long before they got to the check point had the agent been dead?
No...a man was killed but all evidence so far shows through no fault of our military. However, the statement President Bush made regretting it happened was certainly in order and appropriate. I think the fact that McClellan chose to use the word "absurd" indicates the evidence is shaping up decisively that the woman is lying...big time.
No details of the investigation have been made known...yet.
Like I just posted elsewhere, I am beginning to think that Calipari was already dead before they ran into the US military.
Where can we protest the Italians for contributing $$$$ to the insurgents to buy more explosives to kill our troops?
Was Calipari shot because he wouldn't give the money to the "hostage" takers?
Rush to Judgment Fox 'My Word' John Gibson 3-7-05
My employer is a hard-core Italian leftist and today he asked us what the latest was on the "slaughtered" agent story. I held my tongue...
The Sgrena wretch should be thankful the Lord spared her life and given her more time to repent. As a lifetime communist, her legacy is that of mayhem, mutilation and murder of her fellow man. Does she deserve to be alive? Did she deserve to be ransomed for several million $$'s by the Italian government? Only the Lord knows. If I were Burlesconi, I doubt I would've made the same choice. All that has been accomplished is the enrichment of the terrorist war chest by a few million and an increase in the innocent dead iraqi's and coalition troops. Why should their lives be sacrificed for this communist wretch??
No warning shots? No flashing lights?
Of course I believe this communist bitch.
And yes, George Soros is the john to this hooker hag.
Columbo wants to know how she saw there were no lights if the agent covered her with his body.
Oh, oh, through the bullet holes, of course.
Please explain the Soros connection. I hadn't heard anything about him in relation to current events in Iraq.
Soros is all ways a good suspect when something large and full of BS happens, and it requires a lot of money and coordination.
If this commie so called reporter was not captured and was set up to make the Iraqis and our military look bad while getting millions of $'s/Euros to the Islamofascists in Iraq? That would require high finance, excellent coordination and covert action. With many, one of the first thoughts re who or what organization could carry off such a thing, one of $oreA$$'s backed groups comes to mind.
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