Appearing on this morning's "Early Show," CBS Chief Foreign Correspondent Lara Logan lit into President Bush's Iraq plan. Harry Smith opened the exchange: "the question of the morning is, can Prime Minister Maliki's government hold up its end of the bargain?"
Replied the South-African born, French-educated Logan: "That's a very good question, because most people agree that this whole plan depends on the Maliki government living up to their promises. Very, very few people in Baghdad believe that Maliki is willing or able to do this. And what you're looking at is essentially a government where all signs point to a sectarian government pursuing a sectarian agenda. And so when Maliki says he's going to act against the militias the Sunnis simply just don't believe him."
Logan continued her cold water bath for the Bush proposal: "More importantly, this plan partners US forces with Iraqi army and police. And that is making US forces even more dependent on Iraqi soldiers and army who have shown repeatedly that they cannot be relied upon, and have been involved in the sectarian killings. So this is a very serious issue and raises doubts as to whether this plan can succeed."
Reporting from the Green Zone, Logan asserted that Iraqis generally don't believe in the plan either: "Most of the people that we've spoken to say they do not want more US troops here. They don't believe this is going to help. They do believe there is going to be more bloodshed."
The best she was willing to suggest was that some Iraqis are hoping against hope that the plan might work: "And yet there are some who say that in spite of everything, in spite of losing faith in US forces, the situation is now so bad that, the tension is building, people are really, really afraid, Baghdad is a very, very difficult city to be in right now, underneath it all there are some who say that in their hearts they're desperately hoping that this can somehow make a difference."
Iraqis "losing faith in US forces"? At least our home-grown Dems support the troops ;-)
Logan accused the Maliki government of having an agenda. Might Lara have one too?
Mark was in Iraq in November. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
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I love Logan's 'most of the people we've spoken to say..."
January 11, 2007 - 10:20 ET by acaiguanaI love Logan's "most of the people we've spoken to say..."
Girlfriends on the cell from her hotel room? Drunks in the bar? Does the bar serve liquor? Bellboys? Other MSM reporters? Stringers dependent on making her day?
Oh, let's give her some 'gravitas'.
OK, a lot of Iraqis don't want more troops. Wonder why? Ever bother to think that might because the 'more troops' will kill a buch more militant terrorists?
Naw, couldn't be.
More troops would make Baghdad more safe? Iraqis are happy with an unsafe Baghdad? That makes sense. Why bother to help people who prefer violence?
I'm now lost.
Bye.
ACA
...
Acaiguana says: "Which city is next?"
You note my observation tha
January 11, 2007 - 10:23 ET by Mark FinkelsteinYou note my observation that Logan was reporting from the Green Zone. I'm curious as to how she was able to glean so much man-in-the-Baghdad-streets reaction so quickly.
I would not be the least bit
January 11, 2007 - 14:43 ET by UnsaneI would not be the least bit surprised if she didn't even leave her hotel. Or maybe even her hotel room.
"HAV3 TH3 BRIDG3S OF INSANITY B33N CROSS3D AND FOR3V3R R3TRACT3D???." - Meshuggah, "3ntrapm3nt", from Catch Thirty Thr33 (2005)
Any chance she has other wa
January 11, 2007 - 14:57 ET by balboaAny chance she has other ways of communicating with sources other than traveling outside the Green Zone to speak with them face-to-face?
Any chance the Mars Probe killed all life on Mars?
January 11, 2007 - 15:16 ET by acaiguanaAny chance the Mars Probe killed all life on Mars?
Any chance the world is really flat?
Any chance that my cat is really a dog?
Any chance that I'll bust the bank in Las Vegas?
Any chance that pigs will ever fly?
Any chance that there are less horses rear ends than horses?
Any chance that politicians will ever put their country over their greed?
Any chance that John F. (served in Vietnam) Kerry will come out and apologise for being alive?
Any chance that the Democrats will support the United States against Muslim terrorists?
Any chance that the Democrats will support Bush's efforts in Iraq?
Any chance that Hell will freeze over?
Any chance that the Fruitcake Lady will come back to Life?
Any chance that all those crank users will give up their silly conspiracy theories?
Any chance that Rosie will renounce her lifestyle and apologise for being alive?
Any chance that Sean Penn will ever say anything coherent?
Any chance that Opra will give me $100 million?
Any chance that I will live to be 120?
Any chance that I will be happy if I live to 120?
Any chance that the government will ever let me smoke in peace again?
Any chance that the sun won't come up.
Any chance that the sun won't go down?
:-)
ACA
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Acaiguana says: "Which city is next?"
Well at least you're being
January 11, 2007 - 15:18 ET by balboaWell at least you're being rational.
aca, it is all true, just a
January 11, 2007 - 15:25 ET by ucaca, it is all true, just ask Woodward.
that's great cha cha!
January 11, 2007 - 15:29 ET by tumbler_2007Fine diversion from sad events all around us. You could even patent this; a board game, OK? You hang that on a wall, toss darts. Something along those lines. BIG seller in the games stores.
I like the one about Oprah giving me $100M. I'd shoot till I caught that.
Panic
January 11, 2007 - 10:27 ET by JimboIt’s bad enough when the MSM twists and contorts the results of “statistically accurate” polls to support their own views and try to have us believe what the public is thinking, but this is just over the top
". ….because most people agree that this whole plan depends on the Maliki government living up to their promises. Very, very few people in Baghdad believe that Maliki is willing or able to do this."
Huh?? What people are you referring to?? What poll??
"More importantly, this plan partners US forces with Iraqi army and police. And that is making US forces even more dependent on Iraqi soldiers and army who have shown repeatedly that they cannot be relied upon, and have been involved in the sectarian killings. So this is a very serious issue and raises doubts as to whether this plan can succeed."
Excuse me?? She doesn’t even reference anyone else never mind a poll. This is her opinion!!
"Most of the people that we've spoken to say they do not want more US troops here. They don't believe this is going to help.”
Who exactly did you speak to?? The families of terrorists being held at Gitmo? US Democratic Congressmen??
Wow. The libs are pulling our all the stops now. They can sense the potential for a win in this war and they are starting to panic.
How Many?
January 11, 2007 - 10:46 ET by JimboWhat percentage of the American public listened to this report, never considered any of the points above, and are now under the impression that the plan is doomed for failure??
I have been saying all along that the lines are purposly blurred between commentating (opinion) and reporting (fact). I now say that no such line remains. This is a reflection of this reporter’s opinion of the President’s plan being shoved down the throats of the American public as “reporting”.
Shameful. Treasonous. Infuriating. Dangerous………………..
"What percentage of the American Public..."
January 11, 2007 - 11:39 ET by ApexbillThis is what bothers me about the MSM, reporting opinions as facts. It's up to all of us to make sure the facts get out. I have been writing about this and the only way to keep these people honest is for good people like us to spead the real truth. Apexbill.
“How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four; calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg." - Abraham Lincoln
Lara is an expert on the mili
January 11, 2007 - 10:28 ET by kathleenirishLara is an expert on the military, what is the real motivation behind the Maliki government, and psychic!
Wow, what a visionary!
What a bunch of b.s. opinion-being-passed-as-fact-part-of-our-'America is bad'-agenda "reporting". You have to hand it to her, though, she was able to squeeze a whole lot of that agenda into one piece of reporting.
"He who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare, and he who has one enemy will meet him everywhere" -Ali ibn-Abi-Talib, 4th Islamic Caliph
What a waste of a good hottie
January 11, 2007 - 10:30 ET by The Real TonyWhat a waste of a good hottie!
Fight Terrorism at home - defeat a liberal!
And that is making US forces
January 11, 2007 - 10:39 ET by FastEdAnd that is making US forces even more dependent on Iraqi soldiers and army who have shown repeatedly that they cannot be relied upon, and have been involved in the sectarian killings. Repeatedly? Proof? The next question, from the american people who listen to this pap - IS there ANYTHING good happening in Iraq? The impression is NOTHING, yet when interviewed, on camera, the military dummies (see j kerry's assessment) all state the oposite.
THAT'S IT! - using kerry's assessment, the military is too dumb to see that Iraq is another Viet Nam, and nothing they do will make it better, ergo, the msm (Lsm) is correct in their "reporting".
There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad
Yet even if the criticism is
January 11, 2007 - 10:59 ET by dscottYet even if the criticism is remotely valid that Maliki is just telling us what we want to hear, there is Plan B. I suspect that the plan has been revealed to Maliki to secure his cooperation. Maliki has a choice, set aside his allegiance to al Sadr or go down with him. Politicians are like rats, they jump ship as soon as they see the water around their feet, it's called self preservation.
“The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.” – Marcus Aurelius
Plan B
January 11, 2007 - 11:06 ET by JimboGood point. There is most definitely a plan B, and most Libs and the MSM either believe or would like us to believe that Plan B means withdrawal.
I don’t think so.
Plan B is a different approach to the problem sans Maliki and sans a lot of other people and sans political correctness.
Plan B is still a plan for winning the conflict however. Thank God we don’t have a poll driven President right now or one that runs away from a difficult task.
Yes, a Plan B. I was hearin
January 11, 2007 - 12:18 ET by RunningBeerYes, a Plan B. I was hearing that in the speech too but you had to listen ever so carefully (that Bush can be so sly when he wants to). The MSM was sooooo busy preparing ways to trash Bush, and the Dims with their prewritten "response" to the speech, I believe they all missed it completely.
plan "B" ?
January 11, 2007 - 13:01 ET by john ryanNo I think plan B was "stay the course" (continue with plan "A")
Plan C was "moving forward together"
This is plan "D"
So removal of Maliki and putting in a more suitable replacement would be plan "E"
Do you think that snide snip
January 11, 2007 - 13:09 ET by JimboDo you think that snide sniping comments such as this one without substantive suggestions for improvment have contributed to the problem?
Of course you don't.
I think JR was preparing the
January 11, 2007 - 13:45 ET by RunningBeerI think JR was preparing the BushBash speech as well and missed the Plan B approach altogether.
Plan E
January 11, 2007 - 15:20 ET by JimboLet's assume JR is right, and that this is truly Plan "E" for the President. Doesn't that mean that the President has had 5 plans vs. not a single thought from the Democrats?
Liberals can't even prove their points with their own words. Sad.
Which one of you geniuses sai
January 11, 2007 - 11:32 ET by RunningBeerWhich one of you geniuses said yesterday “Iraq won’t be another Vietnam until they pull the funding” ‘cause that was, well… BRILLIANT!
Watching the Pres speech last night I kept getting the feeling there was more being said between the lines. Almost as if he was saying we’ll use restraint in wiping out the insurgents but only up to a point… then we blow the %$&# out of them! Same was felt in his warnings to Iran & Syria. Seems there could be a lot more military muscle flexing on the horizon than the press anticipates, and rightly so since msm makes up their own news anyway. This will be very interesting to watch as things unfold now in Iraq.
Lara
January 11, 2007 - 11:39 ET by iveseenitallLara--an ignorant young Russian woman in the novel Dr. Zhivago. Lara--an ignorant young "journalist" from South Africa. Neither one has much common sense.
NEVER,NEVER trust a liberal
I was wondering about this &q
January 11, 2007 - 13:28 ET by Conservative in the ArtsI was wondering about this "muscle" myself. Sending another whole Battle group? That's a lot of ships and planes, but not "troops on the ground". Putting Patriot Missiles into Iraq? Has there been a problem that we need to shoot things out of the sky over there? So far the news is telling me that our hellicopters are getting fired at from the ground, not the sky. I haven't heard of any Scud missle attacks, so why the missiles? I think this is a chess move to scare the crap out of Iran.
Yes, a wonderful chess game i
January 11, 2007 - 14:05 ET by dscottYes, a wonderful chess game is about to unfold for our viewing pleasure. It's called a cruise missle with the Little Hostage Taker of Iran name on it. I believe the Mullahs are going to be given a choice, shut up or put up. Bush has less than two years left to resolve the issue of Iraq, and less time to the new fiscal budget that the Dems are going to fashion. It's all or nothing. The Mullahs are going to gamble they can outwait Bush by counting on the Dems and Bush is going to force their hand. That's my take.
“The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.” – Marcus Aurelius
"...if they can't get al
January 11, 2007 - 14:29 ET by RunningBeer"...if they can't get along over there then blow 'em up!" -Barry Goldwater
Don't know if that's verbatum but I remember words to that extent. Can you say Plan B? Sure ya can, I'll say it with ya!
I had the same reaction to Bu
January 11, 2007 - 15:51 ET by Archibald CoxI had the same reaction to Bush's comments on Iran and Syria - he's itching for a fight with them, too. It will be interesting indeed to watch events unfold. Most likely sad and sickening, too.
Sad
January 11, 2007 - 17:11 ET by UnsaneI agree - it is indeed sad and sickening to see you take the side of Bashar Assad and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. All so the government can shutter its blinds to that pesky Outside World and focus on spoiling, pampering, and feeding you for 100% "free".
"HAV3 TH3 BRIDG3S OF INSANITY B33N CROSS3D AND FOR3V3R R3TRACT3D???." - Meshuggah, "3ntrapm3nt", from Catch Thirty Thr33 (2005)
I've been waiting patiently f
January 11, 2007 - 17:26 ET by bigtimerI've been waiting patiently for ya Un....I saw this post first thing and thought, where's Un when ya need him!
Job well done.
LMAO!
I wasn't in the mood to mess with Archie, too many things going on today I had to get done, and too angry this morning with the msm since the speech last night. Besides that, you do it much better than I.
"If we ever forget that we are a Nation Under God....then we will be a Nation Gone Under." Ronald Reagan
Tony Snow sure spoke well on
January 11, 2007 - 15:35 ET by ucTony Snow sure spoke well on Rush's show this afternoon. Gave more information than Lara's comments it seems. I guess maybe now that new government is one years old (? is it yet?) and has a record of behavior President now has no choice but to complicate his "stay the course" earlier prudent limitations. About this surge and talk of an end of 2007 evaluation it does seem that the election and all post election talk and study groups did help President. The most heard complaint about old strategy (avoid confusion with being overbearing occupation force days) was the success in and then regular departure from neighborhoods. It does seem that that issue is one most now addressed towards fixing with the troop surge. How Maliki will fair is up for discussion and review and maybe in coming weeks with an improved environment for citizen expression. Bush also is uping help in new free Iraqi entreprenuerial ventures. Maybe it just needs a chance to work?
Maybe it just needs a chanc
January 11, 2007 - 16:01 ET by bigtimerMaybe it just needs a chance to work?
You are correct there uc!
Unfortunately, the enemy within does not want it to work whatsoever...we have to fight them, they are worse in some ways than the enemy themselves, the enemy we are physically fighting couldn't ask for a better partner than the majority of the democrat party and the msn in all forms.
Btw...I heard Snow too on rush...it was a great interview, they both were, as usual.
"If we ever forget that we are a Nation Under God....then we will be a Nation Gone Under." Ronald Reagan