The Tide Has Turned

Congressman John Murtha surrenders to Baghdad Bob as US troops are routed by Iraqi insurgents.

Does anyone remember Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, AKA Baghdad Bob? (Also known as Comical Ali in the UK.) He was the incredibly blusterous Iraqi Minister of Information during the 2003 Iraq war. Initially, I was horrified at how the press was bewitched by this lying buffoon. As the spokesman for Saddam Hussein’s regime he held regular press conferences where he spread the most outrageous propaganda imaginable.

When the Baathist regime began to crumble under the American juggernaut, the charade became a full fledged comedy. His denials that American soldiers had reached Baghdad were immortalized when he exclaimed, “There are no American infidels in Baghdad. Never!”

Even the Bush Administration expressed some sympathy for the man. When Baghdad Bob was captured by US forces he was questioned and released. Instead of going to trial with Hussein he went on to become a cult figure.

I don’t want to paint too rosy of a picture of the guy because there is a dark side to his character. Throughout Saddam Hussein’s brutal rule, Baghdad Bob served the dictator faithfully (although he was allegedly a bit incompetent).

He also embodies the character of Middle Eastern propaganda, which is the product of a culture that has slowly decayed from decades of bigotry against the Jews. The fall of Baathist Iraq has exposed just how readily the Arab world swallows such baseless disinformation. Baghdad Bob’s absurd claims of Iraqi victories fooled many Arabs and led to their indignation when Hussein’s regime fell so quickly. They resented being lied to by a fellow Arab Nationalist and their own governments.

A new phrase was coined in his honor, “Al-Tesahhief Phenomenon”, it means “exaggerated journalism”. I thought perhaps the Arab world would wake up, but several waves of anti-American hysteria have drowned out the voices of reason. Instead, the xenophobic obsession with protecting the region’s dictators and terrorists continues.

On another note, poor Congressman Murtha is not a bad man (which Baghdad Bob may very well be). He sincerely wants to help our troops who are killed and wounded in a terrible war. Unfortunately, he is deluded enough to believe that our armed forces are truly demoralized and are on the path to defeat. His efforts are putting him in the position of seeking to accomplish what the insurgency cannot achieve by itself.

Despite devastating attacks on soft targets like mosques, restaurants and funerals, the insurgents are still losing the war. That hasn’t changed. The inertia created by the recent elections, self government, reconstruction and the insurgency’s inability to achieve any strategic objectives leaves them with a bleak outlook.

Meanwhile, our military’s re-enlistment ratio is higher than ever, units that see the most action have the best morale and our troops’ performance outshines the lackluster insurgents (who only fight when the weather is good).

It is said that the US can’t win the war through the use of military power, but the same applies a hundred times more for the insurgents. They can't force US troops to retreat from any city or town because our troops are too powerful for them. Their strength is vastly overestimated. The insurgents can't beat us, but our own politicians can. That is what the insurgents are hoping for and their terrorist tactics are just a media marketing campaign to accomplish this. Congressman Murtha is a tragic figure in this conflict and I pity him.

To conclude I have to say it is very unfortunate that the heirs of Baghdad Bob are not quite as entertaining as the master showman himself, so let’s bring him back as the spokesman for the insurgency. Please sign the petition.