Sunday, February 18, 2007
Michael, Take A Letter...!
"Mimeograph Michael" Gordon is at it again.0 comments
One wonders if he takes the time to check the White House's grammar before submitting their press release copy to his editors. Or run a spellcheck, maybe?
Michael and his New York Times editors are at it again. Page 1/Top Of The Page space is SO VERY HARD to fill on most Sundays nowadays!
Planning Seen in Iraqi Attacks on U.S. Copters
Judith Miller isn't available these days, so they've teamed "Mimeo Mike" with David S. Cloud, from the Pentagon beat. Of course, you might know that David's already reported on this story 10 days ago under Richard Oppel, Jr. and James Glanz's byline, as part of a gaggle of New York Times staff:
THE STRUGGLE FOR IRAQ; LOSS OF COPTERS SUGGESTS CHANGE IN IRAQI TACTICS
Here's David's part:
"REPORTING WAS CONTRIBUTED BY DAVID S. CLOUD FROM WASHINGTON, AND ALI ADEEB, QAIS MIZHER AND AN IRAQI EMPLOYEE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES FROM BAGHDAD. (NYT); Foreign Desk"
One can only surmise that: a) lifting this basic story from other Times reporters is jake with the Times' editors (and with Oppel and Glanz); and b) David was responsible for the spiffy "Kingfish"-style quotes from the Pentagon brass ("...And the bazookas were a 'zookin'! ZOOK-ZOOK! ZOOK-ZOOK!"—Amos & Andy, a 1950s sitcom), added to give some spice to the tale.
Michael's usual crassness notwithstanding, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow worked overtime to work in some basic, core GOP threads within the release.
First, the Whining...
From the Pentagon and the GOP: "Muh-o-o-o-m-m-m! They won't hold still and let us beat them! They keep moving around! Mom, they keep shooting at us!"
Sure sounds like Gen. Charles Cornwallis is running this operation.
Then, the Shock of Recognition...
After downing the helicopters, the insurgents often laid ambushes for the American ground troops they expected to come to the rescue, sometimes using roadside bombs that they placed in advance. American troops were attacked in five instances in which they rushed to the scene of aircraft that had been shot down, military officials said.
Where have we seen this double-attack technique before? Hmmm, oh yes...now we remember, abortion clinic bombers in the U.S.
Then, the Grudging Admiration...
The intelligence report supports the concerns expressed by an American general this month that militants were adapting their tactics in an effort to step up attacks against helicopters. Such strikes have increased since the United States expanded its military operations in Baghdad in August. From December to January, the number of antiaircraft attacks rose by 17 percent, according to an American military report.
Insurgents in Iraq have boasted about the helicopter downings and posted video of some of the wreckage on militant Web sites. While Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia has claimed it has “new ways” to shoot down the aircraft, some American analysts believe they are probably not employing new types of weapons but rather are making more effective use of arms already in their inventory.
The insurgents try to plan their attacks by studying flight patterns near American bases and along supply routes, according to the intelligence report.
In several recent helicopter downings, the attackers used a variety of weapons, including shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and unguided rockets that cannot be diverted by the flares helicopters disperse to fool heat-seeking systems.
Hmmmm... looks like the Sunni's intelligence operation is better than ours. "What Porter Goss hath wraught!"
Then, the Inherent Racism...
"Wow, who knew these dirty little towelheads could figure out a Plan?!?!? They're actually using a strategy! Clever little wogs! They're actually adapting!!! We may actually have to go back and rethink this. Looks like we may have to give these little savages a tad more credit, eh wot?"
The bloodthirsty GOP wanted a war. Now, they've got one.
Doesn't seem to be going so well for them. Eh, wot?
posted by Gotham 2:25 PM
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