I noticed that coverage of the President's Thanksgiving visit to Iraq by CNN's Nic Robertson included interviews with Iraqis who were either angered by, or denigrating of Bush in some way. The network didn't see fit to inverview a single Iraqi whose view was positive. In contrast, here's a perspective by an Iraqi blogger, Zeyad on Healing Iraq, in which he notes that they too have some less-than-ideal news sources.
Excerpt:
After leaving the cafe I asked some people in the neighbourhood what they thought of it. Everyone I talked to stared blankly at me as if I was crazy or something. It seems that nobody thought it was possible for Bush to visit Iraq at this time. I went to buy dinner from a nearby restaurant and IMN was displaying Bush's speech to his troops. Everyone stopped eating and stared at the tv. It was quite a scene, I just wished I had a camera at that time. It was so comical.I watched it all on Al-Jazeera later, and as usual, they described it as a cheap attempt by Bush & Co. to boost American public opinion in his favour for the upcoming election campaign. You could easily detect the anguish in their anaylsis to the fact that Bush didn't go down to the streets or meet everyday Iraqis, or that Air Force 1 wasn't hit by an anti-aircraft missile fired by Iraqi militants. They were really frustrated.
CNN was certainly not this biased. It may be that they were just too busy covering the Michael Jackson case to invest resources in the democratization of the Middle East.
Anyway, check ouf Zeyad's observations. It's an order of magnitude better than CNN's coverage. And while you're at it check out Alaa's thoughts on The Mesopotamian.
Excerpt:
Yes GWB, though the visit was brief, it was very meaningful. We know that you have come, not as the President of an invading nation, but as the friend who wishes to renew commitment to our people, and as long as your intentions are what you have repeatedly said (and we don't doubt your sincerity), the land and the hearts welcome you.
Also see CPT Maynulet's email on The Corner and Omar on Iraq the Model.
Excerpt:
This the first time I march in a demo. No one forced me, and I remembered the old days when we were obliged- by the tyrant's orders- to march in huge crowds in faked demos. crying out with his name and our love for our beloved leader. His security men used to be surrounding us, watching the expression on our faces and how damn unlucky a man is if they notice that he was not doing the desired effort (shouting loudly). We used to consider the police men as our enemies and there was even a proverb that says:" a police man will never see heaven" Today, we consider them our defenders and our brothers. they're sacrificing their lives tacking the front position to face the terrorists...
(Hat tip: Josh Chafetz)
Posted by Demosophist at November 28, 2003 04:40 PM | TrackBack