Mid-Season Replacement Policy

No link yet, so here's the generic Nightline page. Hopefully they'll post something like a transcript in the next day or so.

The first segment dealt with an Israeli plot to assassinate Saddam Hussein back in 1995. Special attention was paid to the SCUD missile attacks Iraq undertook against Israel during the Gulf War. The report emphasized that Israel, in spite of being targeted by at least 40 SCUDs, restrained from retaliation (at the request of the United States).

Aside: my attitude towards the assassination plot is similar to my attitude towards the aborted coup against Saddam that we undertook right around the same time. IF either had been successful, ABSOLUTELY I would have grumbled, because, sorry, civilized nations aren't supposed to do such stuff (at least "officially"), but, and I hate to have to repeat myself OVER AND OVER, I couldn't give a rat's ass for Hussein. My concern would be on the basis of non-intervention in a country's internal affairs, which has been a principle of nation states since the Treaty of Westphalia. I don't think it's a good idea to do away with a 350 year old concept, with a proven track record of keeping things from getting REALLY ugly, because it's "inconvenient." But, if either the assassination or coup had been successful, grumbling is about all I'd have done, to be honest. Sure, I probably would have attended a rally--if one was organized. But I guess the question is moot.

That said, back to the topic--keep your eye on reports mentioning Israel in context of the Iraq war, because I have a very strong feeling the reasoning "to protect Israel" will be the "new, improved" justification. To paraphrase the late Ron Ziegler, this is the operative statement. All other statements are inoperative (or soon will be).

This will fit neatly into a Bush re-election strategy, as it will attempt to paint any opposition to the war as anti-Semitic, just as any criticism of Israel is now attacked as anti-Semitic. Given that anti-Semitism is a political death sentence in the United States, it is highly likely this will be the marketing approach.

Of course, this has been in the background from the beginning, but, let's face it, the United States tries its best to maintain some "discretion" about the "special relationship"--much the same way Bill Clinton kept Gennifer Flowers et al at arm's distance (when he wasn't having--uh--sexual relations with Gennifer et al).

In other words, everyone knows, but few really talk about it. After all, the US must attempt to maintain at least a facade of fair play when it comes to Middle East affairs, no pun intended. And, on the other side of the coin, Israel must maintain the facade of being an independent entity in the region, and not a dependency of America. This requires deft footwork.

But with the situation in Iraq deteriorating by the day, if not the hour, heavy firepower must be brought to bear in the political arena. Expect to see the Israel card played, at least for serious domestic consumption.

By the way, Israel also sort of serves as a model for our occupation strategy. Just between you and me, I'd hate to see us enjoy the same sort of "success," namely, ongoing acts of violence.

Which brings me to another point I wanted to make regarding the marketing of the war. Like my last post, I find it interesting that little or no sense of perspective is brought to bear regarding the build-up to the great debacle. However, given the truly pathetic nature of the line of reasoning, I wonder if the sheer juvenile stupidity of the various marketing attempts have been sufficient to embarrass the press, politicians, and pundits into actively ignoring the lines of reasoning that brought us into the occupation.

Let's look at the various campaigns:

Bluster--WWF Mode

Evidenced by most of the citations below, the WWF mode of operation was the line for the fall season 2002. "Saddam Hussein, you might be big, you might be bad, you might use your massive arsenal of VX, Sarin, and Anthrax, but we're STILL GONNA give ya an ass whuppin like you only seen back in '91--only this time, the Middle East AIN'T BIG ENOUGH FOR BOTH OF US!

The Brits were a valuable tag team partner in this phase, while the Coalition of the Willing ably led the cheers.

Then this was cancelled, in favor of:

Opening Day, College Football Season

I've discussed this below. College Football Season always begins for the big schools with a good old fashioned thumping of a creampuff like--well, North Texas State actually went to a bowl game this year--but it was the New Orleans Bowl, so I guess I can make them my reference. I've gone into the details below.

But football fans can be fickle, especially when the national championship isn't on the line. So, how about a low-budget summer replacement? Hence:

Reality Show

Iraqi Freedom, the summer reality replacement, had many reward "challenges." The Iraqis played for whatever they could swipe from public facilities throughout the country. Freedom was a messy thing.

Periodically, some Iraqis were permanently voted off the island--there were the inevitable "accidents," or "collateral damage," but the Americans had spoken, and a number of torches were extinguished. This had the unfortunate effect of turning the American football game into more of a soccer hooligan scene, to which our Resident in Chief declared, "Bring 'em on."

Initial ratings we're postive, but when Americans began to likewise get voted off by the resurgent Iraqis, it became evident that the Neilsons were beginning to slacken--either that or "technical difficulties" ensured that the picture was fuzzy. So, there was a concerted effort to make this a big-budget working project:

The Fugitive

No, it wasn't a one armed man, but it WAS the hunt for Saddam, who, with a litany of disguises a long beard managed to find a hole in the ground. Less lucky were sons Uday and Qusay (and Qusay's son), or "the other one-armed men," who were finished off the old fashioned way: Shootout at the Mosul Corral. Meanwhile, the Iraqis, perhaps unaware that the reality series no longer was running on American TV, kept playing their rather deadly game. They began to get better at it, especially during Ramadan, when religious feelings run deep. In response, America took to the original reality series:

Cops

Bad Boys, whacha gonna do when they come for you? Hussein was merely the highest profile arrestee; hundreds of Iraqis discovered that Occupation COPS was filmed live with the men and women of Occupation Law Enforcement. However, all suspects are NOT considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law...and, unlike its US counterpart, the "Crooks" sometimes don't flee, but instead, engage in hostile actions.

Some of the recent activities in Iraq also bear a surprising similarity to the California Governor's Election--it seems as if everyone with a small following is looking for a piece of the action, although there is, at present, no distinction between major and minor claims to power. This is NOT what the Occupation Authority had in mind, even as they play their own sorry version of Big Brother, having locked themselves away from all outside activities in the Green Zone, the CPA's Big Brother House. No word on any steamy action happening on the web cam, though.

And, now, at last, we're moving into daytime drama--the US and Israel locked in a highly charged relationship, but one that must forever remain discrete, as each pursues other suitors while exchanging the occasional knowing glance (or furtive tryst). However, as the situation continues to crumble, it will become more and more evident that this is the final attempt to generate the kinds of ratings that will make this latest show a success. And, they'll keep trying to get the public to buy more lies (Look! Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda everywhere! or Now we've really turned the corner! or It's Baathists remnants who hate freedom, or IF YOU DON'T SUPPORT THE WAR IT MEANS YOU HATE ISRAEL.--as opposed to the REAL facts that yes, there are SOME Al Qaeda who've probably infiltrated, there are probably SOME Baathist elements who hate LOSING THEIR PRIVILEGES, and there are SOME WHO ARE SIMPLY PISSED OFF BY OUR HEAVY HANDED TACTICS, especially when there's always the option of hitting Americans at their weakest point--when travelling in small groups). And while this version of the show might generate enough of a rating to carry Bush over for another four year run, it's also entirely possible that the public's taste might wan regarding the war--especially if it continues to go badly (there's only so much you can hide, even with a compliant, fawning media), or if domestic concerns come to the fore. If daytime drama becomes "how do we pay the electric bill," even playing the "defense of Israel" card won't save Bush.