Truly Sorry

Fox News ^ | 5-6-04 | Neil Cavuto

[Houmatt]

A lot of people think President Bush should apologize for this whole Iraqi prisoner mess.

Funny, but I don't remember hearing anyone say the deviants who strung up those four American contractors in Fallujah (search) should apologize.

Or for that U.S. military convoy that was blown to bits checking out a supposedly sacred mosque. No one's apologizing to them.

Or to the families of those earliest American prisoners of the war (search), two of whom were butchered and hacked in captivity. No apologies there.

[Houmatt]

Finally, someone comes out and says what I have been thinking.

[mo]

Shooot...like anybody's asking Kerry to apologize for hanging around with a bunch of guys pltting senatorial assasination?!!

[tiamat]

I've always liked Cavuto.

Thanks for posting this.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Nobody's asking these murderers to "apologize." We're asking for their heads.

[mathluv]

Neil is always to the point!

[jammer]

Funny, but I don't remember hearing anyone say the deviants who strung up those four American contractors in Fallujah (search) should apologize.

What an asinine thing to say. No one asked them to apologize because 90% of us thought they should DIE, and die quickly.

Cavuto's argument neither absolves us of blame nor, much more importantly, mitigates the public relations disaster this is in the Middle East. If we still have any friends left over there, which I doubt, they have absolutely no cover and are looking for foxholes.

[shezza]

IIRC, Kerry hasn't even apologized for shooting a fleeing, wounded teenaged Vietnamese boy, nor for the "atrocities" to which he has admitted and blamed other VietNam vets. ("But everybody else was doing it" isn't an apology, Senator Kerry.)

[arbee4bush]

It is not surprising that we take the actions of a few to make a grander, false point about the many. Why should it be surprising that the world would prefer to trump pictures of American soldiers abusing prisoners over American soldiers helping kids and curing the sick?

Cavuto always zero's in on the main point. His Commom Sense is one part of his show I rarely miss. He posted graphic pictures while giving his points yesterday. I hope his segment opened some eyes.
Thanks Neil--you are a good man.

[OXENinFLA]

I just caught this this morning THIS WAS AWESOME!!!

GREAT JOB NEAL!

---

[cvq3842]

I thought what the soldiers did to the prisoners was wrong, and said so here yesterday. But this is getting entirely blown out of proportion! And the Democrats are absolutely sickening. Asking for Rumsfeld to resign? How did they feel about Janet Reno after almost 100 US CITIZENS were incinerated in the Waco raid? Whatever you think of the Branch Davidians, that should not have happened. And what did Clinton say? "I take responsibinity, but it's Janet Reno's fault," or something like that. And did she resign?

Do we even need to discuss Kosovo?

I don't want to go off on a wacky rant (oops-too late!), but sometimes passion overcomes intellect. But given the whole history, does ANYONE even believe the Dems are merely "sincere but misguided" in their efforts to skewer the administration? I strongly doubt it. Everybody KNOWS it's just partisan politics. Dissent and questioning are fine - it makes us stronger. But you don't do what the Dems are doing, in the way they are doing it, when we're at war! The Democrat witchhunt only demoralizes our troops in the short run and (I sure as heck hope) further alienates the American public from the Dems in the long run.

Conservaatives don't scream, march and grab the microphone. They just quietly organize and vote Republican. Will the Democrats ever catch on? Not any time soon, I expect. Good!

:)

[new cruelty]

Great article. Thank you for posting this.

[tjwmason]

Finally, someone comes out and says what I have been thinking.

I have to disagree with you here. The reason that we apologise is that we hold ourselves to the highest standard; if members of the co-alition breach those standards, it is a stain on all of the allies, and an apology is appropriate.

Just because others are happy to wallow in the gutter, does not mean that we should. Apologising where it is appropriate shows that honour which we posses. If the present allegations against British soldiers are shown to be true, I hope that an apology will be forthcoming from Her Majesty's Government.

[OXENinFLA]

IT'S MUCH BETTER IF YOU WATCH THE VIDEO.

http://www.foxnews.com/access/video.html

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thanks, Houmatt.

Thanks for the ping, OXEN.

God bless Neil Cavuto for having the guts to speak the truth in the public square.

I believe this will backfire on the cruelest accusers, both politicians and in the press.

Americans have come to know our troops, and Veterans - neighbors, friends, family members - know what they face on our behalf, know they are courageous, and honorable, and suffer for US.

This won't play 9-11 as it did during the Vietnam years, not in America.

We've learned much from our longsuffering and betrayed Vietnam veterans, as well.

There is such love for our troops and veterans - from a multitude of their fellow Americans who WILL rise up on their behalf, and against these accusers.

Our press also did little to tell the world about the suffering of the vast majority of Iraqi people under Saddam Hussein, covering up their years of torture, murder and abuse - still appeasing and defending a monster, though documented evidence has existed for years, and the Iraqi people today are still trying to be heard in our press, and are being censored - as are our troops, while OUR free press (thanks to our troops, past and present) quotes our enemies - enemies of freedom - daily.

[samtheman]

Or Saudi Arabia aplogize for spreading Wahabi insanity to the rest of the world.

[Cold Heat]

I've always liked Cavuto.

His head is too big! :-)

[WV Mountain Mama]

I second that.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Funny, but I don't remember hearing anyone say the deviants who strung up those four American contractors in Fallujah (search) should apologize

I think part of the difference is the men who butchered our people are radicals, terrorists, and we likely don't expect an apology.

However the same is not true of our military. We aren't on the same level.

I would prefer not to have an apology for what they did to our men when they mutiliated them. I would rather do the same back to them, one at a time. Keep your apology; we are coming to get you.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

I should add; I don't know if "apologizing" is in our best interest, although I understand why he did it. But to let it be known that the photos released are part of a prior, ongoing investigation that has been in process for sometime should suffice, and wait until the verdict is in against anyone convicted of a crime.

I think America could make money off the photos by putting them in a French museum and calling them "art", but that's just me.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Move back from your TV.

[Neets]

His head may be too big, but at least he doesn't have a big head.

[Cold Heat]

Ha! True enough!

[texasflower]

This was his opinion. His commentary. His take on it.

What do you expect? His job isn't to change the world.

This is just his own personal rant.

Much like you just ranted.

[tiamat]

LOL!

I don't care about that. Or those god-awful ties he wears.

He's got a lot of soul.

[StarCMC]

Neil says some really good stuff. Back at the beginning of the war he want on a rant about France that was classic!

Ping

[Valin]

If we still have any friends left over there, which I doubt, they have absolutely no cover and are looking for foxholes.

IRAQ THE MODEL
http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/
Thursday, May 06, 2004

Some of the readers asked about my opinion about the interviews that GWB gave to Al-Hurra and Al-Arabeya TV channels and since I'm a CIA agent (I'm thinking of leaving them to work for the Mossad. I've heard they pay better), I guess my opinion would be biased, so I decided to offer you some of the responses I saw on the BBC Arabic which offers a comment section for Arab readers to post their opinions about the hot topics. There were about 30 comments today, since it's still fresh on the site. As usual, the comments from Iraqis-in general-contradicted those from other Arab countries, especially Palestine, Syria and Saudi Arabia. I also found that many of the commentators considered President Bush's speech an apology despite the fact that he didn't frankly apologize.
I've selected some of the comments for translation and it's worth mentioning that about 40% of the total number of comments was positive (sorry, I mean they were supportive of the CIA propaganda).
Here are the translated comments:

-"Thank you Sir for apologizing on the abuse of the Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison. Here you opened an important file; I think that those criminals who were responsible for the mass graves in my country (who are now in your jails' cells) should apologize for their massacres against the Iraqi people".
Imad Al-Sa'ad - Netherlands.

-"Who reads the reactions of Iraqis will see how surprised they're by the way the Americans can prove that years of Saddam's rule and of his anti-American propaganda can be washed out by time; here we have the president of the greatest nation on earth apologizes for what a small group of pervert soldiers did. And here, the American press proves that it's free to show the truth. We lived with similar pictures for years until they became the basics of every prison's daily life and we never heard an Arabic paper point them out. These are lessons from the western culture entering the hearts of Arabs, whether the Arab leaders liked or not".
Sa'eed - Diwaniyah/Iraq.

-"I think that President Bush should talk to us to fill the gap between us and I wish I could see the Arab leaders talk to us like GWB did"
Jihad Abu Shabab - Germany.

-"I'm very happy to see Iraqis condemning the abuse and defending the rights of the prisoners and this is the first time they do something like this, which was impossible for them to do under the dictator's regime. I think that our Arab brothers should mind their own business and take a look at their own prisons".
N - Jordan.

-"I think that president Bush was honest in what he said. Those abuses do not represent the American people. As a matter of fact, we can find cruel men with no morals in any country; that's why we should not judge a whole nation for the violations of a small group of people and I'm sure that these will get the punishment they deserve. Here I'd like to direct my question to the Arabic media "where were you when Saddam mass-executed my people and used all kinds of torture against us?".
Reemon A'adel Sami -Iraq


-"I think that President Bush's statement will find acceptance from some of the Arabs, while the majority will not be satisfied with his words whatever apologies they included just because he is BUSH and he is AMERICAN. I'm sure that the American officials are more upset by the event than the Iraqis themselves because this doesn't belong to their culture or their ethics as a civilized nation.
I think that the event took more space than it actually deserves and the media are creating a mountain from a grain. It's enough for us to remember Saddam's doings to comment on what recently happened".
Sameer-Jordan.

And here's one comment from the side (not a CIA agent).
-"No speeches and no apologies can correct what happened. I can’t describe how I felt when I saw the pictures on the Washington Post; is that why they came from far away? Killed thousands and destroyed a whole country claiming that they came to spread democracy and freedom.
Their media campaign will not make us forget what happened. Shame on their foreheads to the end of time".
Ayman-Damascus/Syria.


- posted by Omar @ 21:43

And this one of the things that REALLY MATTER to iraqis

Iraq & Iraqi`s
Short Articles about the Mentality of Iraqi`s
http://iraq-iraqis.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Children

I can’t keep saying that we are living a normal life in every article I write, I guess that’s the problem of the media; I mean they need something bad to talk about. But for me I will keep to inform you about the rebuilding of Iraq through what information I can get from the contracts that I know about. And today I know that many rebuilding tenders were issued in the fields of sewerage systems, housing, and general services, and guess where? ……….in Faluja , with the conditions that the people of Faluja should be the main labor for these contracts. When I told some of my friends about this matter they said “now we are talking”, as usual, business and work opportunities is the best to solve terrorism and violence problems every where.

It’s important to continue rebuilding Iraqi infrastructure AND it’s more important to rebuild the Iraqi society and mentality (the Iraqi people). I am saying this because I had the problem myself. You see my daughter is 5 years old now and was less than 4 years when she started kindergarten before April 2003, we had to accept that she would call Saddam (BABA SADDAM) at that time, and we should keep our mouths shut about any political criticisms in her presence, because if she would by any chance say any thing of that in school or any where else it would be a huge problem for her, us, and all our Family.

We had to keep telling her after April 2003 that SADDAM appears to be a bad person and we are going to get another and better (BABA)……We had a real problem to convince her with that, she kept telling us that Miss……(whoever) and that’s her teacher “told us BABA SADDAM is a hero”.

That and What Nahrain website is saying today about the new Iraqi ministry of education is allowing private and foreign schools in Iraq which was prevented before… made me think about our need to put serious programs for education in Iraq including schools, education staff and strategy of building a pure society with out terrorism, racial, fanatic problems, an open mind society that we need……….We must admit with that such problems are available deep in our society and many of our educational staff are involved in such problems and a real fast solutions are needed.

The decision of the ministry of education is right but such schools must not be opened for money only. At least some must be opened for all the people financially capable or not, to insure planting the seeds of reason, logic and open mind mentality in all society levels.

I remember that I was in private school in Basra run by nuns till 1972, after that all private schools were nationalized just like the oil, and now I am sure it was to close our society against what the Bath government used to call “foreign invasion”.

That gave me an answer for a question that I kept ask my self “If I had the money, time and capability to help Iraqi people. What would I do?”. To answer my self or any other person asking, I would say “open a school with modern programs for Iraqi children”.


// posted by Firas @ 5:11 AM

[SAMWolf]

Or even critics in this country, who haven't the decency to withhold sweeping judgment on it.

Our domestic/home grown America haters are the worst, it's expected from the rest of the world. Whatever ever happened to critisism stops at the shorelines during war that the Liberals pushed so hard a few years ago? Kerry and lot of the Democrats may as well put on enemy uniforms and join the enenmy in attacking our Country. Oops, I forgot, Kerry has been doing that since 1971.

[windchime]

"There is such love for our troops and veterans - from a multitude of their fellow Americans who WILL rise up on their behalf, and against these accusers."


Bump!

[MEG33]

Amen...BUMP!

[MeekOneGOP]

Neil Cavuto's got it right !

[Dawgreg]

You can depend on Cavuto to tell it like it is. I love his "Common Sense" segment at the end of his shows. Check it out.

[TonyRo76]

Excellent! Neil Cavuto BUMP!!

[Gritty]

"I don't remember hearing anyone say the deviants who strung up those four American contractors in Fallujah should apologize" - Neil Cavuto

[MEG33]

I must give Joe Lieberman credit..He expressed the same sentiment about lack of real outrage by "moderate" Muslims over the deaths and display of the four contractors bodies.

[normy]

At first I was bothered at the photos. Then I began to think of how these Iraqi criminals and terrorist may have been abusing the guards.

These guys were hardened criminals and I am sure cause lots of problems and could have perpetrated abuses on the guards until they snapped. Could the prisoners have thrown urine on the guards? Could they have sexually harrassed the female guards? Could they have continually exposed themselves to them? Could they have rioted or thrown excrement on the guards?

I do not know but I assume stuff like this probably went on so the guards decided to humiliate them. I would prefer a good beating but this may have been the best way to "break" them.

I started saying how horrible the "abuse" was, now I could care less.

[LiteKeeper]

bump

[GOPJ]

Torture pictures -- Do Muslims still want to hang the burned bodies of American soldiers on a bridge? Will young Arab boys be cheering in the streets this time? Will they wonder if they're next on the leash?

If the pictures are psyops revenge, it's a caution to Muslim killers that it could happen to them...As to the sensitivities of the Arab Street? Here's what we don't like. We don't like "rape rooms", we don't like clapping and cheering when American innocents are killed, and we don't like a cult where the highest ethics deal with control of a woman's sex organs. No, I don't believe we did it on purpose, but it is a warning...

[rockrr]

I agree, Normy.
When I first heard of "The Atrocities" I thought, "BFD".
When it didn't die from its own lack of mass, but instead we were treated to a non-stop barrage of photos, I thought, "Hmmm. Stupid move, but still BFD".
I printed out the photo from post #33 (blown up good and in full graphic color) and carry it with me now. I delight in shoving it in the face of any leftist that spouts their truly pathetic, anti-American crap in my presence.

[normy]

I don't care either. By the way I used to live in Edmonds, you live around there?

[blackie]

Cavuto is right-on ~ Bump!

[bruin66]

Idiot!

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!!!!

[Houmatt]

The reason that we apologise is that we hold ourselves to the highest standard;

Baloney. We are not being held to a higher standard, but to a double standard.

Take a good, hard look at the picture in post #33. The man in that photo did absolutely nothing to the Iraqis. He is not even a member of the military. He was merely a civilian who committed the unpardonable crime of being an American.

And yet, you did not hear so much as a peep from those who are bitching and whining now about the photos of Iraqi POWs.

You can bet your house and everything you own I am more ashamed of my country because we apologized for what happened in those pictures than I am for, again, what happened in those pictures.

[tjwmason]

We are not being held to a higher standard, but to a double standard.

And yet, you did not hear so much as a peep from those who are bitching and whining now about the photos of Iraqi POWs.

Be that as it may (and I do not dispute that fact), does that mean that we can degenerate to the level of barbarity?

Just because the other guy's worse, it does not matter what we do? Just because the leftists are dragging out their anti-military garbage does it mean that we can dump honour and decency?

The apology was not for the good of the anarcho-leftists; it was for the good of the military men who have nothing to do with this, whose lives will now be made far worse. It is for the innocent Iraqi's who are seeing propaganda which makes them want to throw out the Co-alition (i.e., the best chance for them to get a decent life). It is for the whole of the civilised world, on whose behalf this battle was fought.

[jammer]

Lol. Yes, I agree--one of us two is or one of us works for the White House.

[jammer]

Sure, he was just ranting. I was just pointing out that he was wrong and wrong-headed.

[texasflower]

I don't think he's wrong. I think you are.

[Houmatt]

Somehow you almost sound like you are trolling. Are you?

I have heard this tired argument before, albeit in a different context (read: Death penalty. "If we execute this guy, we will be no better than they are.").

So I guess they should be able to do anything they wish to us, but by God we had better not return the favor lest someone get mad at us?

I guess you can say that as you did not have people flying planes into your buildings on 9-11.

Flying planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, was an act of war. An undeclared war. An unprovoked war.

And in war, there are no rules, no matter what the Geneva Freakin' Convention says.

It's why I say we have better things to worry about than the contents of a few silly pictures.

[jammer]

Ah. Now that's perfectly within your right. That's what this forum is for. But, to tell the truth, from the responses I'm getting (single word ad hominem "Idiot", for example), I no longer believe that of most--at first I thought you folks were just Polyannas. But from the arguments, or lack thereof, I believe that most know I am correct and are shooting at the messenger.

[texasflower]

But from the arguments, or lack thereof, I believe that most know I am correct and are shooting at the messenger.

You are misreading the replies I think. It's more like people being tired of negativity just for the sake of negativity.

It's all over the place right now. We're tired of it.

There is non-stop bashing of someone, anyone, for any reason. It's very tedious and not well received right now.

You have been here much longer than me. You know freepers are plenty capable of forming their own opinions.

I disagree with resorting to terms like "idiot", but with so many negative posters right now, everyone is worn out.

Normally I am a very polite person and I'm worn out, too.