The photographs tell the story... media manipulation on a
grand scale. Why was the area cordoned off if this was supposed to be average
Iraqi's in Baghdad celebrating the downfall of Hussein? A close-up
photo of the event showed many uniformed US military and news people -
with cameras in their hands and hanging around their necks and maybe
50-75 people in civilian clothes. The wide angle shot here tells
the story. Headlines stating that Iraqi's toppled the statue
is clearly a lie. Marines toppled the statue and it looks like a
made for TV setup with the square right across from the hotel where most
of the international media is staying.
April 6th: Iraqi National Congress founder, Ahmed Chalabi
is flown into the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah by the Pentagon.
Chalabi, along with 700 fighters of his "Free Iraqi Forces"
are airlifted aboard four massive C17 military transport planes. Chalabi
and the INC are Washington favorites to head the new Iraqi government. A
photograph is taken of Chalabi and members of his Free Iraqi Forces
militia as they arrive in Nasiriyah.
April 9th: One of the "most memorable images of the war" is
created when U.S. troops pull down the statue of Saddam Hussein in
Fardus Square. Oddly enough... a photograph is taken of a man who bears
an uncanny resemblance to one of Chalabi's militia members... he is near
Fardus Square to greet the Marines. How many members of the pro-American
Free Iraqi Forces were in and around Fardus Square as the statue of
Saddam came tumbling down?
The up close action video of the statue being destroyed is broadcast
around the world as proof of a massive uprising. Still photos grabbed
off of Reuters show a long-shot view of Fardus Square... it's empty save
for the U.S. Marines, the International Press, and a small handful of
Iraqis. There are no more than 200 people in the square at best. The
Marines have the square sealed off and guarded by tanks. A U.S.
mechanized vehicle is used to pull the statue of Saddam from it's base.
The entire event is being hailed as an equivalent of the Berlin Wall
falling... but even a quick glance of the long-shot photo shows
something more akin to a carefully constructed media event tailored for
the television cameras.
