Iraqi's cheer Sadaam's fall......

Anyone see the statue the U.S. pulled down?

Iraqi's were trying to pull the statue down themselves but had to ask the U.S. for help. After the statue fell (horizontal, yet still on the pedestal), many Iraqis started throwing rocks, shoes, boxes and anything else they found to get the statue to fall of the pedestal. When the statue fell to the ground the Iraqis cheered, hugged, cried and screamed.

It truly was a moment I will never forget in my life.

Now we can go find bin laden

I also won't forget when the BBC correspondent translated what the elated Iraqi's were chanting in other areas of the city...

"We hate Saddam, We hate America."

I don't think it's a secret that the Iraqi's don't like Saddam. But don't think that we're at war with Iraq so that we can give Iraqi's democracy. Anything we set up will not be democratic, otherwise the Shi-ite majority would form a non-secular state, with a tendency to align itself with Iran. (although the two groups are distinct, the US will not want Iran to be pulled into the Middle East by a friendly Iraq)

the post-war Iraqi government is going to be the biggest challenge of this whole action...

It has to be friendly to the US, whilst being acceptable to other Arabs, as well as not turn into a Shiite state.

That's one challenge I wouldn't want to try and iron out...I'd love to know their game plan for it....

Their game plan is obvious. A US administration quickly replaced by Iraqi exiles under UN strings. But full democracy won't come to Iraq for a long time...

I wonder if Blair will manage to change the gameplan to a UN administration, moving to a proper Iraqi government. I doubt it, but it's already causing considerable friction between the US/UK.

{EDIT} I also wanted to ask the question: is a pro-US government ever going to be acceptable to the other states in the Middle East?
{/EDIT}

[Edited on 9-4-2003 by dom]

I'm talking more about the behind the scenes plans to make it work long term...

they might not have 'full democracy' for some time (whatever full democracy is) but I think they're better off now without Saddam, regardless of however long it takes for full democracy to arrive. (but maybe quicker than in other states given their history of being secular?)

[Edited on 9-4-2003 by Bob88]

I'm not sure they're better off right at this moment. Now that shopkeepers are having to fend off looters with guns... but yes, I think the US would have to do something very wrong for the Iraqi people to end up more oppressed than before this war.

The Iraqis are far better off without Saddam.
Can you imagine the sense of freedom these people are feeling for the first time.Know wonder they are looting,they have been ruled with an iron fist for so long they don't know how to act.

They're looting for the same reasons LA did....poverty+opportunity+lack of authority stopping them....

Jubilation is great, but the looting needs to be stopped...

The majority of the Iraqi population, the shiite muslim, really has no love for the U.S., but the chance to live a free life without Saddam hasn't set in just yet. They may never like us, but the will appreciate what was done for them on this day (France, are you paying attention?).


PS Go Tribe, I was at the game yesterday, 27 degree's, foggy as all get out, and we manage to go into extra innings before we lose, my toes are still numb from that.

Good to see another Ohio boy on the sight.

No Lebron, we want Carmello


That's all

They may appreciate it in the long term. They may also decide that the US were more concerned with getting control of Iraq than helping the Iraqi people.

It all depends on what happens over the next few months...

yup - go tribe! Though the talent has been gutted, I still love 'em. And the new Tribe minor leauge club (Captains) are playing practically in my back yard this year - should be fun. So, the game was pretty cold huh? I don't feel bad that I missed it.

"Spatula City" For all your Spatula needs, hehe....

lol gazrok, glad someone caught that, good 'ol SNL!

Weird Al's UHF though...it was one of the commercials in the movie...very similar to SNL commercials though.

"Because nothing says I love you, like a new spatula"



[Edited on 9-4-2003 by Bob88]

(sorry gazrok - I meant to reply to your post, instead I hit 'edit' - hence the 'edit by bob' in your post)

anywho, I *think* UHF got that from SNL, it was an old SNL skit. Gosh though, UHF, there's a movie I haven't seen in a while.

Makes me want to open a new thread though...

Favorite SNL commercial....

Oh, there's a video on Foxnews.com if anyone like me who doesn't have a TV at work and wants to view it.

Go to Foxnews.com and look for 'Saddam Statue Toppled in Baghdad' on the right hand side. Amazing!

"Today, we take down small puny statue of our beloved Saddam, to make room for even bigger statue of our fearless leader!"