BuzzMachine... by Jeff Jarvis

December 14, 2003

Coverboy
: Tomorrow's covers, via Rexblog.parche final fantasy VIII

Joe, Joe, he's our man...
: Here's a link to Joe Lieberman's much-quoted (and deservedly so) statement on Saddam:

This news also makes clear the choice the Democrats face next year. If Howard Dean had his way, Saddam Hussein would still be in power today, not in prison, and the world would be a more dangerous place.
If we Democrats want to win back the White House and take this country forward, we have to show the American people that we're prepared to keep them safe. I consistently supported Saddam's removal for the past decade, and am prepared to do what it takes to win the war on terrorism at home and abroad.

Many have said this was a Christmas gift to George Bush. It was also a Chanukah gift to Joe Lieberman: On the first day on Chanukah, he got Al Gore's endorsement of Howard Dean, extending Gore's I-blew-it coodies to Dean. On the second day of Chanukah, he got Saddam's capture. Hmmm, what could be in that pretty package we're going to open next?
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The wacky despot
: Time has leaks from Saddam's airport interrogation. Looks like he's setting up his insanity defense.parche final fantasy VIII

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The dark-cloud crowd
: I find it entertaining to read University of Michigan Prof. Juan Cole every day to see how much negative -- always negative -- news he can find from Iraq.
He manages to turn even today's news of a murderous tyrant's capture into bad news.
Oh, he has to take many detours to get there. He has to -- responsibly, morally -- acknowledge Saddam's many heinous crimes.
But then he throws the task of finding the dark lining to this bright cloud to his wife. Getaloada this "analysis:"

My wife, Shahin Cole, suggested to me an ironic possibility with regard to the Shiites. She said that many Shiites in East Baghdad, Basra, and elsewhere may have been timid about opposing the US presence, because they feared the return of Saddam. Saddam was in their nightmares, and the reprisals of the Fedayee Saddam are still a factor in Iraqi politics. Now that it is perfectly clear that he is finished, she suggested, the Shiites may be emboldened. Those who dislike US policies or who are opposed to the idea of occupation no longer need be apprehensive that the US will suddenly leave and allow Saddam to come back to power. They may therefore now gradually throw off their political timidity, and come out more forcefully into the streets when they disagree with the US. As with many of her insights, this one seems to me likely correct.

Well, at least they each found the perfect mate.parche final fantasy VIII

: Here are links to reaction from anti-war bloggers. parche final fantasy VIII

: Tons o' links -- from all perspectives -- from N.Z. Bear.parche final fantasy VIII

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Lessons for dictators
: Pedram has a wonderful graphic lesson for tyrants here.parche final fantasy VIII

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The former Baghdad blogger speaks
: Salam Pax has all but given up blogging, even on this day. No post. Instead, he blathers for the Guardian, saying very little. parche final fantasy VIII

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Another great day for citizens' media: The Iraqi blog roundup
: Read the latest on Saddam's capture and Iraq's reaction from bloggers on the ground in Baghdad -- excerpts and links here and here.
Pardon me for banging this drum, still. But look at all the very human, very real, so honest and immediate reporting and perspective we are getting from Iraq. No delay. No filters. No reporters. No editors. The people speak and a world away, we get to hear them.
Only two months ago, one man in Iraq was inspired to start a weblog. He inspired others to start. And look what they give us on this day. parche final fantasy VIII

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Liberation vs. occupation
: The proof that our action in liberation will be the trial of Saddam Hussein at the hands of his own people.
Imagine if we had captured Adolf Hitler (a novel I'll never get around to writing). He would have been tried and likely executed by the victorious armies. There never would have been a moment's thought of letting his own people do it; they were the perpetrators and the losers.
In this war, we see the Iraqi people as the victims of this tyrant and so it is their right to judge their past and build their future.
We have liberated them for that future.parche final fantasy VIII

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'The mother of all days'
: Iraqi blogger Alaa gives thanks:

Before this, I prayed the traditional prayers of thanksgiving. That I, and the Iraqi people should see this day! This, surely, is the mother of all days for us. The heroes of our valiant Pesh Mergas, and the heroes of the U.S. Fourth division have done it. Now is the time to unleash the Iraqi Counter Terror; now is the time to go for the kill. Let us go after them. Don’t lose this moment.... The foul mouths of the enemies of our people everywhere and the neighboring vultures and hyenas be stuffed with dirt; we will come after you; your time will come.
Long live the great alliance of Mesopotamia and the United States of America and her allies. Now is the time, now is the time; Do not delay; unleash the Counter Terror.
God Bless Iraq; God Bless America; God bless the Allies.
And above all Praise be to Allah the Almighty the Avenger.

Yes, God bless.parche final fantasy VIII

: And fellow Iraqi blogger Omar says:

Horrraaaaa
It's the justice day.
I'm speechless.
I'm crying.
The tyrants' hour has finally came. I went down to the streets to share the joy with my brothers. This is our day, the day of all the oppressed and good people on earth.
Tears of joy filled the eyes of all the people.
Saddam, the coward, hides in a hole, shaking in fear from being captured....
Yes, he should be prosecuted in Iraq. We will not allow anything else.
We want to see him in a cage bending more and more, humiliated more and more, just as he forced all the Iraqis to bend to him, like they were his slaves. But we will not be like him, we will give him a fair trail, and he will get just what he deserves, although I have no idea what does he really deserve....
Thank you American, British, Spanish, Italian, Australian, Ukrainian, Japanese and all the coalition people and all the good people on earth.
God bless the 1st brigade.
God bless the 4th infantry division.
God bless Iraq.
God bless America.
God bless the coalition people and soldiers.
God bless all the freedom loving people on earth.
I wish I could hug you all.

: Ays says:

This is the end of tyranny.. congratulations .. a great day.. for Iraqi and all the good people.. share us our great day.. I can’t express my feelings.. thanks to the coalition forces and all the honest people who helped in that great operation….thank you thank you thousand times.

: More from Alaa on the scene in Baghdad:

The Ululation of Gunfire again; you should all be here now. What fireworks! You should be here. The Baghdadis are expressing what they really think again. Can you hide this now CNN & others?...

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Dean speaks. Oy.
: Howard Dean's statement on today's news:

WEST PALM BEACH-- Governor Dean issued the following statement this morning:
"This is a great day for the Iraqi people, the US, and the international community.
"Our troops are to be congratulated on carrying out this mission with the skill and dedication we have come to know of them.
"This development provides an enormous opportunity to set a new course and take the American label off the war. We must do everything possible to bring the UN, NATO, and other members of the international community back into this effort.
"Now that the dictator is captured, we must also accelerate the transition from occupation to full Iraqi sovereignty."

Damnit, the UN didn't capture Saddam. Old Europe did not capture Saddam. NATO did not capture Saddam. The coalition did.
The American label is on this war. Proudly. We got rid of a tyrant and murderer. And now we are about the hard work of bringing security to Iraq and rebuilding the nation and creating a democracy. We're not going to cut and run.
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Defined
: When Gen. Sanchez said Saddam was in a "spider hole," I wondered what that was. Dave Winer, whose central nervous system is an Internet node, just looked it up: "A spider hole is a disguised entrance to a tunnel used by the Vietcong."parche final fantasy VIII

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The news alarm clock
: Here's what I want for Christmas: An alarm clock that wakes me up when really (emphasize really) big news happens.
See my post down at the start of all this Saddam news below: The ~~damned~~ cat acted as my news alarm that got me up to hear the great news about the capture of Saddam. Well, that's unreliable.
I'd like an alarm clock that's wired to the Internet and that goes off if the AP moves a flash. Or perhaps it could go off if there's a sudden rush of news action on weblogs (though I wouldn't want to be awoken for the announcement of a new iPod). The clock should display the headline and let me hit the snooze-news button to go back to sleep.
Either that, or I'll give my phone number to a few trusted blogger friends to call me. I damned near called Glenn Reynolds to get him up and blogging. parche final fantasy VIII

: Once Glenn Reynolds wakes up he really wakes up. Tons of updates there.parche final fantasy VIII

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The death of anti-fascism from the left
: Johann at Harry's place says this review of Noam Chomsky's book is the article of the year:

Whatever other crimes it committed or covered up in the twentieth century, the Left could be relied upon to fight fascism. A regime that launched genocidal extermination campaigns against impure minorities would be recognised for what it was and denounced.
Not the least of the casualties of the Iraq war is the death of anti-fascism.

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The right reaction
: Joe Lieberman on Meet the Press: "My first reaction? Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!... This is a day of glory for the American military... This is a day of triump for anyone in the world who cares about human rights and cares about peace."
Right on, Joe.
I'm starting to wonder whether Joe's my guy.parche final fantasy VIII

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Reaction from the coalition of the pissy

: Atrios should have had another cup of coffee:

These are just some unorganized idle thoughts before I've had a cup of coffee. Capturing Saddam is a good thing - he was a bad guy. I'm really glad he was captured and not killed.
But, it really doesn't change much. Capturing Saddam isn't going to end the resistance to the US occupation in Iraq. It may improve things slightly, or it could even make it worse, but the net effect will probably be negligible. Saddam was a bad guy, but it isn't clear he's any worse of a guy than some of the folks who are a part of our "Coalition of the Willing," so this pretense of moral clarity, etc... is ridiculous.
Saddam wasn't a threat to us. This was a war of choice and we made a bad choice (and many more bad choices subsequently). Kosovo was also a war of choice. Whether or not that was a bad choice, consider the disparity in the media coverage of those wars.
And, cynical me just has to ask - who's the enemy now? The base needs one.
Did they really call it "operation Red Dawn?" oy

And if he'd had another cup of coffee, he wouldn't have been embarrassing himself with this. Saddam no worse than others in the coalition? Go here. Each pixel is a person. Look at how many he killed. Then piss on the news. Or just go to the bathroom to deal with all that coffee.parche final fantasy VIII

: Metafilter tries to piss on the news. But nothing comes out. [via Michele]parche final fantasy VIII

: The Dean blog has nothing on the news. Ditto Clark. Ditto Lieberman. Odd. But then, in fairness, neither does the Bush blog. And here's the issue with official blogs: Spin before posting.
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Iraqi blogs on Saddam's capture

: Early reaction from the Iraqi bloggers:
: Iraqi blogger Sam at Hammorabi says:

It has been confirmed by a member in the GC that the tyrant dictator Saddam Hussien has been captured at 4 am in his home town Tikrit in a cellar with a false beard today the 13th Dec 2003....
It is a victory for the victims of his regime and the righteous people of Iraq and the WORLD at large....
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL AND HAPPY NEW YEAR (2004) WITHOUT THE TYRANT!
It is a VICTORY TO ALL OF US.

: Baghdad Skies, another Iraqi blogger, announces the news in big red type: "The Unmentionable Name reported captured in Tikrit - found in a cellar"
He also predicts that Saddam will be on a U.S. aircraft carrier before nightfall.parche final fantasy VIII

: Blogger John Galt of the CPA says:

Got the SOB! Saddam reported in Coalition military control. News spead through CPA like wildfire. Smiles all around to a bunch of hard working people - Iraqi, American, British, Spanish, Italian, everyone!
Celebratory weaspons fire around city in celebration. Some quick duck and cover by guards but the word has spread. In the new day, our Coalition and Iraqi guards now stand and watch the tracers.
It's a New Day, as of 1:30PM, Baghdad time.

More reaction...parche final fantasy VIII

: The BBC wasted no time writing an analysis pushing an agenda: namely, what Human Rights Watch has been pushing: "But some human rights groups say that an international tribunal (and no death penalty) would be preferable."parche final fantasy VIII

: Reaction at al-Jazeera:

Amar Al-Hakim, Member of the Central Council of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq:
"The Iraqi nation is happy and the sound of gunfire indicate the Iraqi's people's joy and happiness. His arrest will put an end to military and terrorist attacks and the Iraqi nation will achieve stability. We want Saddam to get what he deserves. I believe he will be sentenced to hundreds of death sentences at a fair trial because he's responsible for all the massacres and crimes in Iraq."

: BlogsForBush rounds up other blogs.
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Saddam Hussein captured alive!
: Paul Bremer: "Ladies and gentlemen, we got him!"
He says he was captured at 8 pm (Iraqi time) in a town near Tikrit.
"This is a great day in Iraq's history," Bremer says.
: Gen. Ricardo Sanchez called it Operation Red Dawn. He said not a single shot was fired. He said Saddam has been cooperative and talkative.
He says it came from human intelligence, intelligence analysis, and information from detainees. At 11 yesterday, they received intelligence about his location.
About 600 soldiers were involved in the operation.
"Under cover of darkness and with lightening speed," they began the operation at 6 local time.
He was found in a small walled compound with a lean-to hut and a hole hidden by bricks and dirt. "Saddam Hussein was found hiding at the bottom of the hole."
The hole was six feet deep -- how appropriate.
It was big enough for a man to lie down. It had an air vent.
He had $750K in U.S. currency.
When they show Saddam on video the Iraqis in the press conference break out in cheering and jeering at the screen.
Sanchez describes Saddam as "cooperative... tired... a man resigned to his fate."
: A Reuters reporter asks, "Does this mean you're going to leave the country quicker?" Gen Sanchez gives him the appropriate response: derisive laughter.
: Sanchez ends: "God bless America."
: Kudos to ABCNews, which had a translator ready to translate Arabic questions and answers; NBC and CBS did not.
: ABC just replayed the opening announcement and Bremer's chin was quivering. He takes this personally.parche final fantasy VIII

Earlier news reports...
: Hussein was captured in Tikrit. Announcement upcoming.
: NBC News says on the air that people are celebrating in the streets.
: CNN hedges and says his identity is being confirmed.
: The BBC says he was found in a cellar. Tony Blair says this "removes a shadow" over Iraq.
: Fox News says he was "cowering."
: Andrea Mitchell on NBC just said that last night, Rumsfeld and other U.S. officials seen at events around Washington were "extraordinarily happy and no one knew why... This was more than the holiday spirit." She says the operation appears to have taken place about 8 last night (ET).
: The Iranian official news service story:

The head of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) office in Tehran, Majed Ghammas, confirmed that Saddam had been captured, citing their sources inside Iraq.
"Our sources have reported that troops at US 4th Infantry Division found Saddam in an underground in Tikrit," he told IRNA.
"American troops identified Saddam after removing his fake graying
beard and arrested him," Ghammas added.

: NBC News says he wasn't so much in a basement but in a hole just outside a house where intelligence said he would be. parche final fantasy VIII

Later...parche final fantasy VIII

: Bremer's full statement. parche final fantasy VIII

: It has been awhile since Tim Russert was a street reporter. He said Saddam was marched before other prisoners (for both ID and humiliation) and called it a "prep walk." That's "perp walk," Tim, as in perpetrator.parche final fantasy VIII

When news gets personal...
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: I was going to kick the cat for getting me up early. But it's because of that that I heard the great news from Iraq. On any other morning, I would have gone out running as the snow starts to fall here. But instead, I stay in to watch the news and blog it. That's odd, when you think about it; you're all going to wake up and see the news on TV or online. But I was dying to see what the Iraqi bloggers had to say. And this is big news, indeed. So I didn't want to be away from the news. Blogs create a new connection to the news....parche final fantasy VIII

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