Posted on 03/25/2008 6:19:41 AM PDT by jdm
** EXCERPT **
BAGHDAD — A cease-fire critical to the improved security situation in Iraq appeared to unravel Monday when a militia loyal to radical Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al Sadr began shutting down neighborhoods in west Baghdad and issuing demands of the central government.
Simultaneously, in the strategic southern port city of Basra, where Sadr's Mahdi militia is in control, the Iraqi government launched a crackdown in the face of warnings by Sadr's followers that they'll fight government forces if any Sadrists are detained. By 1 a.m. Arab satellite news channels reported clashes between the Mahdi Army and police in Basra.
The freeze on offensive activity by Sadr's Mahdi Army has been a major factor behind the recent drop in violence in Iraq, and there were fears that the confrontation that's erupted in Baghdad and Basra could end the lull in attacks, assassinations, kidnappings and bombings.
As the U.S. military recorded its 4,000th death in Iraq, U.S. officials in Baghdad warned again Monday that drawing down troops too quickly could collapse Iraq's fragile security situation.
Pentagon officials said that military leaders are watching for any signs of backsliding as they consider whether to keep drawing down troops below pre-surge levels.
President Bush spoke about the death toll, saying, "One day, people will look back at this moment in history and say, 'Thank God there were courageous people willing to serve, because they laid the foundations for peace for generations to come.'
Even as he spoke, the situation on the ground was rapidly worsening.
On Sunday, a barrage of at least 17 rockets hit the heavily fortified Green Zone and surrounding neighborhoods, where both the U.S. and Iraqi government headquarters are housed...
(Excerpt) Read more at mcclatchydc.com ...
And they have the audacity to put success in quotes in their headline. Sick.
Past time for Mookie to take his dirt nap.
About the author’s names. Hmmm....
Article written by Leila Fadel and Nancy A. Youssef.
These two have long been cheering the insurgents on in their articles. There is no doubt that the insurgents & terrorists are going to try to impact the November elections in America. Harry Reid & Nancy Pelosi are sending them emails reminding them of the necessity to move up the body count in Iraq....
> About the author’s names. Hmmm....
You don’t mean to imply that professional journalists would allow their reporting to be biased by their allegiances, do you?
/sarc
They must cut off the head of the serpent.
The SURGE in negative news stories about Iraq is about to begin in earnest.
You can almost hear the cheers from the Democrats in Congress each time an American soldier is killed in Iraq.
Who did you have in mind, Reid or Pelosi?
The lib media only puts Iraq on the front page if they can report bad news—or at least sell it as bad news.
Presently an oxymoron.
When was the last time you remember actually reading, or seeing, a "professional" journalist?
Do they happen to mention how many Islamofacist our soldiers have eradicated?
The reality is, that these were Iraqi troops that kicked @ss yesterday against Sadr’s troops.
Why not both?
The reality is, that these were Iraqi troops that kicked @ss yesterday against Sadr’s troops.
> You can almost hear the cheers from the Democrats in
> Congress each time an American soldier is killed in Iraq.
Agreed.
The sound the DemoTRAITORS hear everytime an American soldier dies in Iraq is, “Ka-ching”.
> Presently an oxymoron.
> When was the last time you remember actually reading, or
> seeing, a “professional” journalist?
< crickets chirping >
Yeah, well we’d better start fighting, or were going to lose. And a Republican needs decide that.
the libs can only hope so....
exactly
Leilia Fadel 
Almost?
vaudine
This is not a news article. It is an editorial.
The Media sickens me.
I don’t hear cheering, but I do hear the drip, drip, drip of the crocodile tears.
Because he’s been playing ball.
Obama’s campaign is turning into a disaster, so it’s time to change the subject.
The Drive Bys seem to follow a common thread. NBC Nightly had the same head and story.
Bush.
Al Sadr has pulled out and is studying in a Mosque in Iran I thought. They were supposed to be training him up to be a full fledged ‘Mullah’.
Heavens, no! I'm sorry if you got that impression. (heh-heh)
And another thing, why are we allowing China and France to get in on the Iraqi contracts. Let these bastards send their men and women in to fight. Let them pay a share of the financial cost to reconstruct Iraq.
Let them (especially France) apologize to the Iraqi people for proping up the sadistic dictator who ruled over them for so long.
Is that so? I was going to comment that the timing seems like it would be perfect if the new Iraqi troops could go in and squash some little uprising like this. It would be good if they could show that their capabilities are rising.
It’s time to take a good, hard look at the lead role Arabs and Muslims are now taking in the journalistic community.
Few people realize that the editorial page editor of USA Today is also the epe for what many would consider a radical Palestinian publication. He has a right to his job, and USA Today has every right to hire him — but they should at least have the integrity to openly acknowledge his allegiances when they so clearly affect his judgment. (His wife, perhaps not so coincidentally, was the terrorist reporter for the Washington Post.)
Seems to me this is the sort of report we will be reading for the foreseeable future: Iraq is not a country, it is collection of angry and self-interested sects, tribes, and ethnic groups.
Marine Corps and Navy casualties during the 36 days and 35 nights of the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Killed in action 4,917
Died of wounds 1,401
Missing, presumed dead 494
I'll bet Leila and Nancy hope so.
This morning.
Good question...
I saw a special on the history channel that featured Edward R Murrow reporting from London during the Blitz.
Does that count?
Nope, has to be someone that you actually read or saw during their career.
Brit Hume is more-or-less a pretty decent newsreader. Not sure I'd call him a journalist, though.
I know of a local reporter that's pretty good - he makes it a point of pride to get things absolutely correct. Nothing on the national stage, though.
Howzabout Geraldo's "hard-hitting" "documentaries"?
ROTFL
In this context, “professional” means only that they are paid for what they do.
Does Michael Yon count?
I haven't read any of his work.
Does he present the facts and not try to bias his reports, going EITHER way?
If so, I'll give you 3/4 of a point. No full point because I'm not sure that he's well known enough.
> In this context, “professional” means only that they are
> paid for what they do.
Oh. So THAT’s what the term “Media Whore” means!
:)
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