Just This Once...I'll Cut Koppel a Little Slack

But not much. All this week, Ted, he who sports the British version of the Holy Helmet haircut, has been retracing the steps he took during the time he was "embedded" (if that's not the newspeak word of the year for 2003, I don't know what could be) with the troops--Third ID, as a matter of fact.

Mr. Koppel can preen all he wants (and he does), he can offer his metaphor of choice--in his case, "the water is over the dam," and he can even hector Iraqi civilians JUST LIKE THE CPA DOES, according to said civilians--which was one of the few times I've ever seen Ted (rightly) abased--but the pictures on the television screen speak volumes.

If the United States was a defendant on trial, with Iraq as the jury, they'd be averting their eyes during the reading of the verdict.

I noted immediately below that William Lind is giving the US a very slight chance of turning chickenshit into something that might pass for chicken salad, but let's be realistic: given our monumental ignorance of the region, and, indeed, the country, even a crash course in cultural awareness is at best a desperation play. This is especially evident in the Wednesday broadcast, titled "Red Zone/Green Zone," which, as you might expect, was about Baghdad.

The irony of using the Republican Palace--not to mention the irony of the name--is not lost on the Iraqis themselves. If you watched the program, you'll see the major difference post Saddam is the addition of a roughly twenty foot high wall of prefabricated concrete around not merely the palace, but the surrounding area. Approach to the CPA compound is a staggering slalom around more concrete and razor wire. Some Iraqis have waited for weeks to gain entry to the compound: it's their only chance to register any sort of inquiry or complaint.

Another image showed a school--outside the entrance, a sewer main had ruptured, spreading filth where young students arrived. A teacher, frustrated by the slow response from the authorities, managed to find someone willing to clean up, and paid for this out of her own pocket--but the problem returned, because the cause was never addressed.

As far as the Iraqi Governing Council? Even I could hear the dripping sarcasm of the Arabic speakers as they hissed. The translator reported: "They call [the IGC] the twenty-five thieves."

The ONLY city experiencing any sort of upswing is Najaf, thanks to the large numbers of Iranian pilgrims who seek to visit a Shi'a holy site. And the Iraqis are getting awfully sick and tired of home invasions in the dead of night by the occupying forces--most of which turn out to be a "mistake." But, hey--just head down to the CPA office with your claim--that is, if you can gain entry. Be ready to wait a long time."

Note: Just checked back at the Nightline site. Tonight's episode will feature none other than Salam Pax, aka the Baghdad Blogger. Come to think of it, it's been a couple of days since I checked to see what he or Raed was posting. For that matter, I might also check to see if Riverbend has been able to update. Still need to modify the permalink on this page. Alas, so little time...

At least I know to actually tune into the Ted's little show tonight. Maybe, if I'm lucky, he won't try to hog the spotlight, but I doubt that.