New Meaning To Shock And Awe

Five Years Into Iraq War, Reporter Finds Success Is Being Redefined

(CBS)  This Reporter's Notebook was written by CBS News correspondent Allen Pizzey.

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Five years after the invasion of Iraq was launched under the Hollywood-like sobriquet “shock and awe,” so many shocking things have happened that almost nothing about the place shocks anyone any more.

“Awe,” on the other hand, is an apt description what the statements of U.S. politicians inspire in a correspondent just back from his fourth Baghdad rotation in the past 12 months.

Speaking to American troops, Vice President Dick Cheney, who can claim no small measure of credit for thinking the whole thing up, called the invasion of Iraq “a successful endeavor.” His definition of “successful” seemed to be summed up by his attempt at rallying the troops, many of whom are on second and third deployments which now last more than a year.

“We have no intention of abandoning our friends,” he said, “or allowing this country of 170,000 square kilometers to become a staging ground for further attacks against Americans.”

No mention was made as to whether or not Cheney acknowledges the now well-documented fact that no attacks against America or Americans were ever staged from Iraq before the invasion.

On the plus side, attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq are down, even if the death toll is on the edge of 4,000. That good news was part of the message of the Republican presumptive presidential candidate John McCain. Although in fairness he has become far more realistic about the state of play than he was a year ago.

Speaking to reporters in Jordan, one of his stops on a tour of several Middle East countries, McCain said: “We are succeeding, but we still have a long way to go,” adding, “al Qaeda is on the run, they're not defeated.”

The shortfall in his rhetoric is that he seems unable to make a distinction between al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and al Qaeda the overall organization, if indeed “organization” is the right word. No one seems to know whether the entity exists as such, or merely as an inspiration, in which case it is far from being on the ropes.

And by the numbers game that is now the favorite way of measuring success, things may look better overall, but the horror is still, if no longer shocking, one that ought to hold us in awe. Even as the politicians were pontificating, a female suicide bomber killed at least 50 worshippers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala. Twenty-nine more people died in other attacks across Iraq.

The terrible -- and for a reporter, frustrating -- thing about all this are the limits in reporting the events or providing context to the political viewpoint. An improving security situation does not mean access is anything like it was just after the invasion, when journalists could get out in the streets and speak to Iraqis. The levels of fear and animosity have not ebbed, even if the statistics seem to indicate otherwise. Reporters and camera crews still must adhere to the “15-minute rule”: stay no longer than 15 minutes in any one place. In some places, indeed many places, even that is far too long.

The exceptions are neighborhoods where a combination of concrete barriers, known as “T-walls” because of their shape, guarded entrances and the presence of Iraqi security forces backed up by and under the close watch of U.S. troops make it safe to spend time. There are more than a few of those now.

Baghdad is no longer so much a capital city as a jigsaw puzzle of uni-ethnic zones.

I have lost count of the number of times I’ve been to Baghdad in the last 18 years; so many that I used to have a reasonable idea of where I was and how to get from there to wherever else I wanted to go. Now even our drivers often have to ask directions.

And then there is daily the problem of how to deploy the Iraqi crews and reporters on whom we rely to be our eyes and ears in places where Westerners dare not tread. Shiites can go to some areas, Sunnis to others. No matter how well the two sects get along in the office, and it is encouraging to see how well they do, they cannot work together in the field.

In the past five years two of my friends, one of them a very close friend, have been killed in Iraq. Several others have been wounded. Local staff who risk their lives on a daily basis while we come and go have shown me what it really means to be fearless and objective. Some of them too, have been killed or wounded. Others have been forced to flee for their own safety and that of their families, simply because they were found to been working for Western media organizations.

The International Organization for Migration reported this week that one in five of Iraq’s pre-invasion population is now either internally displaced or living as a refugee outside the country.

Shock and awe? Indeed, but for all the wrong reasons.

[ioweign]

- "A blue light of peace."
SURE... after that, we''ll fight Global warming by conserving engery like Albert Gore!


Posted by republic1776 at 03:33 PM : Mar 19, 2008

Why not ?

You listened to the shrub and now look at the mess in Iraq and here...

[tbweb]

"New Meaning To Shock And Awe"

In my view the New Meaning To Shock And Awe is when Americans see the final "price tag" and "Bill" for the Iraq invasion which will be over a trillion dollars, an unexpected "Bill" in the context that Pres. G.W. Bush said Iraqi Oil would pay for the War when in fact Iraqi Oil hasn''t even paid for the 3,991 U.S. Coffins!

[it_oldtimer]

The US tried the very same strategy - a HUGE "troop surge" - during the Vietnam conflict too, and things did look a bit better for as long as it lasted (which, as it turned out for many unfortunate US soldiers, was far too long) but when that "surge" eventually ended, South Vietnam was rapidly overrun by the forces of North Vietnam and quickly surrendered.

The same thing will happen following this current troop surge in Iraq. We obviously can''t maintain it forever (at least not without a new Draft) and when it ends the tide will quickly turn again.

Today Vietnam is doing just fine without US forces stationed there, and they are even quite friendly towards us now. One can only hope that this disaster in Iraq ends as soon as possible, and that the Iraqi''s will eventually forgive us our hubris, just as the Vietnamese have.

We all know now, just as the Iraqi''s do, that we should never have gone in there to begin with.

The longer we stay and delay, the longer that healing process will take, if it''s even still possible at all, at this point.

[dmgenet]

So when Cheney refers to his "friends" that we will not abandon he is referring to his oil company CEOs and big shots not the Iraqi people. This man could care less about democracy anywhere, less about people, and less about friends. He is an opportunist, a quasi-fascist, and a sad angry human.

[republic1776]

- "A blue light of peace."
SURE... after that, we''ll fight Global warming by conserving engery like Albert Gore!

[Marie Zarankevich]

Everybody interested in stating your disapproval of a continuing Iraqi destruction, signify by keeping a blue light in your window every night until this is ended. - Name it a blue light to express peace from ordinary Americans to the ordinary people of the Middle East. - No political or military leaders need apply. - Perhaps we can make a statement of our own, peacefully, and without anger or bloodshed. - I bet all the blue bulbs will vanish from the store shelves very soon. - Ladies, get it on. - Gentlemen, arm your light fixtures. - A blue light of peace.

[Marie Zarankevich]

Spectrum108 - Dear Spec, - You misunderstand Americans. - I know we appear to be slow witted, but that is a feature of our sheer numbers. - Because there are so many voices, it takes a while for all of us to be heard. - An extremely large hand does take longer to respond than an extremely small one. - We ALL have a voice in what happens. - And we have not yet ALL spoken. - Have a nice day.

[Marie Zarankevich]

Dear Allen Pizzey,

Thank you very much for your efforts in getting the truth out to the rest of us. - Your work is appreciated and honored. -
It seems such a shame that the military effort has degraded from trying to help a people to an opportunity to test our newest military toys on someone else''s soil. - What started as a noble effort had become little more than turning Iraq into a vast waste-lot, and small burning holes in the ground. - The people we were helping are either leaving in droves, or they are starving by the side of a bombed out road. - With their infra-structure destroyed, and with little hope of anything being fixed anytime soon, what are these people to do? - Do we intend to keep doing this until there''s nothing left there but us and a few ragged teenagers in black throwing rocks at us? - Where is the "help" for the Iraqi people we promised? - We DID promise. - Looks like that promise has been broken.

[srdesert48]

america has had it to easy ..they believe anything..they will not stand up to oil& gas companys about high gas prices ...they will pay 10.00 a gal . if they had to ...no matter who wins the president s seat, he or she will screw us ...so we are doomed no matter what ...america needs to stand up & have a life ...bush is getting rich off this *** war ,,,him & cheney ...i hope bush & cheney rot in hell along withthese gas & oil companys ..if mccain wins , bush is backing him , because he wants the war to continue ..he will tell mccain to keep it going & mccain is a war monger...so whoever wins ''we are doomed ''.. put your head between your legs & kiss your *** good bye ....this country met its match...the politicians got us killed while they get rich & live the life of luxoury...& the people here sit back & do nothing except *** & vote them in office...what a bunch of cowards....what happened to the good old days ...this war would have been over...when the day comes i will go down fighting & take a few with me....wait till MARTIAL LAW hits us ....what are you going to do ?

[element51]

This morning I saw part of an interview with Martha Raditz and Cheney. At one point she mentioned to him that the majority of Americans are not happy with the Iraq war. His response was,"So?" I don''t think I have ever heard such arrogance from a public person before. That one word answer spoke volumes about what this administration thinks about the American people. We are nothing to them. We don''t exist.

[knyghtwolf]

Bush Says Iraq War Was Worth It
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush says he has no doubts about launching the unpopular war in Iraq despite the "high cost in lives and treasure,"...How many family members and friends did he lose? It must have been a huge sacrifice for him as well. What this war in Iraq REALLY cost him was far more than a stained blue dress, it cost him any credibility along with all his "STAFF members" who love to smoke and stroke his presidential staff, in terms of any thing remotely human or animal. This war cost WE, the PEOPLE, the lives of our families, friends, any and all loved ones that will NEVER be coming home, it cost WE, the PEOPLE, our Constitution, Bill of Rights, Articles of Confederation, any and all credibility as an honest and decent nation to be proud of. Is it worth it to watch ANOTHER Republican be groomed and trained to carry on the bush torch of destruction? The democratic party is a longtime stand up joke and fall guy, being a serious leader means being able to lead a nation, not a corporation, into greatness. Remember that when you vote.

[Latrocinor]

Notice CBS won''''t allow comments on several stories, like the one that says the Vast Majority of Americans say this Illegal War and Occupation for Profit wasn''''t worth it.
The truth???,...They can''''t Handle the Truth,....

Posted by veteran71 at 08:11 PM : Mar 18, 2008
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They probably don''t want to deal with the filth the posters want to post.

[feelfree1]

Mr. Pizzey,

I would like to acknowledge you as "most improved CBS journalist" for writing this piece, after the "Cleansing" One Town Of Al Qaeda" article from you last week.

Re: "The shortfall in his rhetoric is that he seems unable to make a distinction between al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and al Qaeda the overall organization, if indeed %u201Corganization%u201D is the right word. No one seems to know whether the entity exists as such, or merely as an inspiration..."

As tepid as this observation is, it is downright bold, as compared to our corporate media in general. Almost nobody else in the Western press is talking about this issue, or challenging the official story, at all.

Re: "The exceptions are neighborhoods where a combination of concrete barriers, known as %u201CT-walls%u201D because of their shape, guarded entrances and the presence of Iraqi security forces backed up by and under the close watch of U.S. troops make it safe to spend time. There are more than a few of those now."

"Baghdad is no longer so much a capital city as a jigsaw puzzle of uni-ethnic zones."

Our Western media has also been largely silent about these prison walls that carve up the towns, and the ethnic cleansing surrounding them.

Again, good job to Mr. Pizzey for mentioning these.

[greybeardvet]

Thanks Mr. Pizzey for giving the lie to the *** we get from Cheney, and to a lesser extent McCain. Your analysis has the ring of truth and tells me that the situation in Baghdad is still deplorable after five years of Bush/Cheney occupation and corruption.

Why in the world does our stinking, evil, liar of a Vice President even bother to go anywhere or talk to anyone? He''s got to be the most despised politician in America. If he had an ounce of decency he''d commit suicide.

[gkc99]

Let the Evil One stay in Iraq; perhaps the Yazidis can worship him.

[taylpatr]

Cheney was laying low for a while, then all of a sudden, here he is on a "peace" mission? I don''t know about you all, but I''d sure like to get a look at his chest, just to see if he''s had any recent surgery. I wouldn''t put it past him to have all those Gitmo prisoners cross-typed for a match on a new heart to replace the shrivled black one the Cheneys has become.

[incog-nito]

%u201CWe have no intention of abandoning our friends,%u201D Cheney said.

When did the Iraqis become our friends? Do most Americans have Iraqi friends or family? Do Americans vacation there a lot? Did the Iraqi ask Americans to become their friend, and vice-versa?

[docadams3]

If there was any justice in the world, they would leave Cheney in Iraq.

[cyberus-2009]

New meaning = Newspeak ala 1984

Looks like the current administration studied Big Brotherism.
If the meaning of something you said comes back to hausnt you simply change the meaning.