Everyone we fight in Iraq is now "al-Qaida"

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/06/23/al_qaeda/index.html

Josh Marshall publishes an e-mail from a reader who identifies what is one of the most astonishing instances of mindless, pro-government "reporting" yet:

It's a curious thing that, over the past 10 - 12 days, the news from Iraq refers to the combatants there as "al-Qaida" fighters. When did that happen?

Until a few days ago, the combatants in Iraq were "insurgents" or they were referred to as "Sunni" or "Shia'a" fighters in the Iraq Civil War. Suddenly, without evidence, without proof, without any semblance of fact, the US military command is referring to these combatants as "al-Qaida".

Welcome to the latest in Iraq propaganda.

That the Bush administration, and specifically its military commanders, decided to begin using the term "Al Qaeda" to designate "anyone and everyeone we fight against or kill in Iraq" is obvious. All of a sudden, every time one of the top military commanders describes our latest operations or quantifies how many we killed, the enemy is referred to, almost exclusively now, as "Al Qaeda."

But what is even more notable is that the establishment press has followed right along, just as enthusiastically. I don't think the New York Times has published a story about Iraq in the last two weeks without stating that we are killing "Al Qaeda fighters," capturing "Al Qaeda leaders," and every new operation is against "Al Qaeda."

The Times -- typically in the form of the gullible and always-government-trusting "reporting" of Michael Gordon, though not only -- makes this claim over and over, as prominently as possible, often without the slightest questioning, qualification, or doubt. If your only news about Iraq came from The New York Times, you would think that the war in Iraq is now indistinguishable from the initial stage of the war in Afghanistan -- that we are there fighting against the people who hijacked those planes and flew them into our buildings: "Al Qaeda."

[Kagemusha]

1. I've said it before, Petraus thinks this is part of the "war" too

That the propaganda is just as important as combat in the field.

[NNN0LHI]

2. NYT doesn't work for the Petraus though n/t

[Kagemusha]

8. Acts like it does though.

Or maybe just as if they share the same boss, the Decider.

[NNN0LHI]

10. Won't get any argument from me on that one n/t

[Bonhomme Richard]

3. LOL, only 3% "Al Qaeda" a couple of months ago according to................

the military and now they are all "Al Qaeda". They have a bigger border problem than I realized.
I said LOL but it isn't funny. I'm afraid the majority of the people in this nation are so brainwashed that we are already a lost cause.

[Hawaii Hiker]

6. Yep, I remember hearing same thing just few months back

that Al Qaeda in Iraq comprised only 2-3% of the enemy...What happened to Sunni & Shite insurgents, death squads, etc....Now, Al-Qaeda seems like top priority in Iraq?...

With an election year just around the corner; expect more BS, lies, & scare tactics in an attempt to SCARE :scared: people from voting Democrat next year....

[tularetom]

4. I don't believe there is any such thing as Al Qaeda

I think it was all made up by the US government to put a face on a phenomenon they could not understand or sell to the public. "International terrorists" are scary sure but kind of amorphous. There needed to be an organization or preferably, a boogie man, to get the dumshito-Amurkkkins all riled up. Al Qaeda sounds vaguely evil and sneaky, not to mention dark skinned (another thing to scare the hayseeds with).

On second thought, Al Qaeda probably does exist now and it's probably being run out of cheney's secret bunker.. After all the terra propaganda somebody surely has figured out that we're scared shitless.

[Odin2005]

7. Bin Laden's organization was distroyed when we invaded Afganistan.

The so-called "AQ" elements outside Afganistan are just tiny cells of Sunni militants that take inspiration from OBL. There is no "Vast Terrorist Network" except in the minds of Freepers and Neo-Con propagandists.

Militant Islam was on the decline since the early 90s until * stirred up the hornet nest by invading Iraq, AQ was a remnant of "true beleiver" Islamists that retreated into Afghanistan because they lost support elsewhere.

[whistle]

5. If our troops are fighting Al Qaeda they are fighting the CIA because

...Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden always were and still are CIA assets.

Our troops know they fire upon primarily Iraqis some of whom are fighting back in defense because they wish to drive out occupiers but are killing primary innocent Iraqis .

[spanone]

9. You've noticed that too. I believe it's called propaganda.

[EFerrari]

11. If BushCo said we were fighting Munchkins in Milwaukee

the NYTs would be the first to print it. :hi:

[gulliver]

12. A responsible press would try to ID a few of the bodies.

But the responsible press is holed up sipping espresso in the Green Zone. Bush gave Al Qaeda a new place to train and grow in Iraq. But at least he got something out of it. He'll get a couple of weeks of propaganda to preserve his and the GOP's political hide. So it's not a total loss from the Bush backers' perspective.

[EFerrari]

13. ...

[SalmonChantedEvening]

14. SOP - Running with the brand name that inspires the most fear n/t