Thursday, December 25, 2003

You would think that I am making this up to amuse you. I am not. The Washington Post has yet another account of the "trove of intelligence" found on Saddam (in the pocket of his garb, I guess as it is unlikely to find anything more in that magical briefcase of his). And how silly: every other day, some silly American newspaper carries a story about how the US military FINALLY uncovered the true structure and organization of the insurgents. Every week or so, they seem to capture "the most important leader" behind the insurgency. Who are they fooling? The mess is much worse than the Washington Post would like to acknowledge. According to published press reports, the CIA estimates that some 50,000 Iraqis are involved in the resistance. And with the tough and bloody tactics of the US military, the number will only grow particularly when Iraqis do not fear the return of the horrors of Saddam's regime, and particularly when they feel embittered by the unpleasurable US occupation. This is like when Israel, almost weekly, announces the capture (or the murder--Israel does not capture, it kills, without trial of course--this is one country in the world that it would be better for human rights if it reinstates the death penalty. At least with the death penalty, you get a legal process and trial. Now, Israel brags to US that it does not have the death penalty, so it feels free to go around assassinating Palestinians with rockets and car bombs, on the basis of SUSPICIONS OR HUNCHES), --continue where I was with "capture"--of "a key Hamas master-terrorist," only to hear a week later that there is yet another Hamas "master-terrorist." Who are they fooling: themselves and the US press.