Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Control Room
I haven't seen the documentary yet, but it's supposed to be pretty good. However, one thing stood out in
Roger Ebert's review.
That is a charge I have heard before, but only by commentaries on conspiracy-type websites, not by anyone credible. It's both incredibly well done propaganda by the Pentagon -to show "joyous Iraqis" tearing down the statue of their oppressive former dictator, and another example of the Iraqis not greeting us as "Liberators" as Paul Wolfowitz and Co. expected. It can be said that at that early point, Iraqis were afraid to come out and be seen aiding the Americans, in fear of reprisals, but we can't prove that. All we have to go on is what the camera shows, and that's they way the Pentagon likes it.
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Roger Ebert's review.
I have not seen Al Jazeera and am in no position to comment on its accuracy. I have seen this film, however, which contains enlightening moments. Remember the TV scene when joyous Iraqis toppled the statue of Saddam Hussein after the capture of Baghdad? TV pictures on the monitors at CentCom clearly see something American audiences were not shown: The square was not filled with cheering citizens, but was completely empty, except for the small band of young men who toppled the statue.
Al Jazeera producers watch the footage with their U.S. counterparts and observe that those who are interviewed "do not have Baghdad accents." They wonder why one "happened to have the old Iraqi flag in his pocket." The implication: This was a staged event, initiated by the U.S. occupation and bought into by the U.S. media.
That is a charge I have heard before, but only by commentaries on conspiracy-type websites, not by anyone credible. It's both incredibly well done propaganda by the Pentagon -to show "joyous Iraqis" tearing down the statue of their oppressive former dictator, and another example of the Iraqis not greeting us as "Liberators" as Paul Wolfowitz and Co. expected. It can be said that at that early point, Iraqis were afraid to come out and be seen aiding the Americans, in fear of reprisals, but we can't prove that. All we have to go on is what the camera shows, and that's they way the Pentagon likes it.
