CNN-- US is bombing Iraq now

[janx]

...

[Brucey]

1. Oh goodie, we can get back to the good old days

of shock and awe, patriotism, and glorification of war! Yea!

[janx]

3. That's exactly what it is...fireworks.

Show of force, etc.

CNN still showing live shots.

[saigon68]

6. 2000 Lb Bombs a Mark 84 w/ fuse extender

They called these daisy cutters. They will cause one serious head ache. This is obviously overkill. Rather than arrest someone --they Vaporize them.

[janx]

17. They're using daisycutters in Baghdad? Nah.

I think these are smart bombs.

But you may be right--hell, I don't know. What leads you to believe they'd drop daisycutters in Baghdad? I thought those were used out in the hinterlands.

[saigon68]

33. IN THE HINTERLANDS

They wouldn't use a Mark 86 anywhere near the City--those babies are just too powerful.
But in that little coconut /date grove, from where the SA-7 was fired that brought down the Chinook---(Perfect)</Sarcasm>

[leftchick]

41. how can they use something that big in a suburb?

won't it wipe out the suburb along with the target building? This is so fucked up!

[janx]

124. That's what I wanted to know too.

.

[ArkDem]

52. Dasiy Cutter is BLU-82

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/blu-82.htm

[saigon68]

161. They come in all sizes

The Commando Vault weapon I am familiar with was a 10,000 lb bomb used to create instant LZ-s. It had a fuze extender similar to the BLU-82

A fuse extender attached to
A Mark-82 500 lb
A Mark-117 750 lb
A Mark-86 2000 lb

Makes all of them "Daisy cutters"
That was what I was referring to--- but good catch on your part ---any of them including the BLU-82 are nasty ,if you are w/in 100 yards.

[janx]

2. Live shots in (around)? Baghdad...

...but this is POSTWAR Iraq, yes?

Not clear whether these are bombs or artillery...

[ewagner]

4. Is there any coverage?

I've been in and out of the tv room all morning and i have yet to see any coverage. By coverage, I mean a briefing by the Pentagon or Central Command outling just exactly what is going on.

Is this part of the total news blackout?

on edit: oops...poster answered my question.......slow on the trigger here I guess.

[janx]

9. CNN is covering this. No official military coverage, no.

CNN said that the Pentagon reports that these are US operations.

[hang a left]

5. thanks

[bushisanidiot]

7. CNN: U.S. operation under way in Baghdad, Pentagon sources say. Dozens of

explosions heard. Details soon"

on cnn.com front page

[Walt Starr]

8. MISSION RESUMED!!!

Any carrier landings in our Resident's future?

[janx]

11. Probably.

Who knows? He could make that landing a dozen times.

[Cocoa]

10. what's the military objective?

what are they blowing up, and why?

[janx]

14. The military objective is to make Chimpy look good.

. Other than that, it's not clear.

[leftchick]

32. targeting an abandoned building in west Baghdad....

harboring guerilla weapons.... :eyes:

[spinbaby]

86. Exactly

If they knew where terrorists/ammo dump/WDM were, they'd roll on over there in tanks and have themselves a nice photo op. They're just bombing for the sake of bombing. Sick.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

98. Improving Bush's poll numbers.

[frylock]

113. to ramp up the gdp, of course..

building more bombs is good for the economy.

[imax2268]

12. so much for mission accomplished...

I forget...was this post-war Iraq or the ever-ongoing-bring-em-on-people-will-love-us War...?

* say's...get bremer back here to my pad in D.C....I'm gonna drop some bombs on'em...YeeeeeeHaawwwwww...

[IndianaGreen]

13. We must destroy the city in order to save it!

What is this shit? It's like the remake of a bad movie, same plot, same dialogue, different location, different cast.

[janx]

20. It's a mini- shock 'n awe.

Just a repeat, yes.

[henslee]

SHOCK & AWE LIGHT --- MORE WASTE, LESS KILLING !!!!!!

no text..... but you look real nice today.. what'd you do to your hair?

[janx]

151. My hair?

Just a bath and a shake is all it takes!

[JeebusH]

48. and ... its our freedoms is why they hate us, right ????

just want to get it straight

[Zero Gravitas]

15. INSANE

Right. LEts bomb Baghdad, which we "liberated" months ago to make the resistance stop? WTF? They are truly mad. And what the hell are they blowing up? Houses in parts of the city that resist the most? That'll make them love us for sure. :eyes:

[nomaco-10]

16. Claiming one bldg targeted, but there were

several explosions all over Baghdad. I watched the bombings live and they were random, heavy and definitly not aimed at one designated location.

[janx]

24. I saw it too. Explosions all over the place.

This is ridiculous. What were they trying to hit?

[MurrayDelph]

18. Oh, is that why

gasoline prices jumped 4¢/gallon since last night, after weeks of
slowly dropping?

Murray Delph

Articles of Impeachment? Bring 'em on!

[imax2268]

19. they are really

going to love us now...after we blow up their homes...

nice...Mission Resumed...that was a good one...!

Check it out though...Bremer's in D.C. The bombs start dropping...

[hang a left]

27. Tin foil on......why is al jazeera silent, and the foreign media

ANd on edit: Is this the prelude to Syria?

[CaptainClark23]

38. you know how good our aim is.

"Damn! Was that Damascus? Shee-it, looks just like Baghdad from 50 thousand feet...my bad...cough cough"

[leftchick]

BBC reporting 5 loud explosions in Baghdad...

I guess they have not figured out the murkins are bombing themselves.

[arcane1]

21. let's mow the whole place down

and see what happens...


I guess the Lott doctrine has been accepted


those Iraqis should really love us now!


does this mean major combat has resumed?

[Walt Starr]

22. I wonder how much of the stuff bought with that $87 billion

is being blown off the face of the planet right now?

[imax2268]

26. One Building...

2000lb bombs on one building...?

[Javneh]

23. Democracy at work in Iraq

I guess Shrub was right, this is just another sign of our success in establishing democracy abroad. I mean of course all successful democratic countries have bombing runs, right? :eyes:

[Cush]

25. Reporter in Baghdad

Iraqi's think this is overkill, they don't get it. This could be done in other ways

[imax2268]

29. I think W has cracked...

[leftchick]

Have to agree with the Iraqis....

the US has now eliminated what was left of any Iraqi goodwill/cooperation....

[Maeve]

35. What, winning hearts and minds by exploding them doesn't work?

Gee. Someone tell Dubya.

Sorry--Lily Tomlin was right. No matter how cynical you get, you can't keep up.

[bif]

54. Great quote!

Thanks, I've never heard that one before.

[kayell]

58. Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse.

Another Tomlin gem.

[MoonAndSun]

28. As soon as the coward Bremer was safely in DC, then the bombs

started. May they all rot in hell.

[qanda]

30. Just one question...

Are we supposed to be proud of our country after it does stuff like this?

[mandoman]

51. we are bad to the bone

damn right you can be proud ! we are the super dopper ass kickin power of the world ,and dont you forget it! or do you need yet another demonstation?

[mac56]

88. Welcome, mandoman -

Please assure me that your post was sarcasm.

[qanda]

119. There's no doubt about it!

We are the baddest, the meanest, and the most powerful. Unfortunately we are also the most out of control nation to come on the world scene in a long time. At this point, I find myself ashamed of my nation.

[IndianaGreen]

123. Germany turned out alright after it was denazified, and its leaders hung

We may turnout alright after we are denazified.

[SeveneightyWhoa]

31. I wonder how many Iraqi's will die today?

Or if any of them will be covered by the media?

[IndianaGreen]

34. According to reporter onsite, these are retaliatory strikes

every time US is attacked, the US will respond. Hello? Does this sound like Gaza and the West Bank?

On edit: is not a reporter, it's an idiot named BG David Grange. He sounds like a Freeper, totally deluded!

[saigon68]

40. KILL EM ALL let god sort them out--BRING EM ON

Nice phrase for the planets latest homicidal maniac and War criminal

[Cocoa]

45. how do they know where to strike?

or are they retaliating against the city as a whole?

[IndianaGreen]

53. They are attacking individual buildings

which, as those of us that follow the Israel/Palestinian conflict know too well, means that you are going to have a lot of innocent civilians getting killed whenever you drop a big bomb on a building surrounded by homes.

I expect a response from the other side.

PS: I was glad to see Bremer finally refer to Iraq as a low intensity conflict, a code word for guerrilla war.

[rman]

67. it's probably "citizens harbouring terrorists" so the city is free game

sounds familiar doesn't it.

[aquart]

73. Oh, brilliant. We're using the strategy of a WEAK nation.

International Relations 101: A weak power must respond to aggression instantly and militarily.

A strong one has many other options.

[info being]

141. Or is it weak leaders

who respond militarily?

[burrowowl]

85. Does this

sound like Nazi Germany?

[Jacobin]

148. More like Israel

but I'm not here to split hairs.

[jokerman93]

36. Is The True God of the Muricuns Starting to Get Desperate?

two weeks ago the administration admitted they didn't know who the enemy "terrorists" are.

Now we're dropping 2,000 lbs bombs. Isn't this the old "Kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out" strategy?

As an after thought, I wonder how these Chosen-by-God crusaders are rationalizing the continuing massive failures of their campaign. Does W lie awake at night praying? Does he think God is only testing him and if he just keeps "staying the course", God will justify his faith with a grand victory and a permanent presidency?

I'm continually outraged and nauseated by everything this administration has done to my country and to the world.

When will the thousands dead, maimed and robbed blind get their justice?

If this bastard Bush gets away with this, I'll be ready to take it to the streets.

This is NOT America.

on edit: typos

[RedEarth]

37. "They will greet us as liberators"........

What do you think now mr. cheney?

[rman]

75. "I didn't say that"

-

[nomaco-10]

39. It's official, we now have...

the 21st century version of Viet Nam on our hands, should be no doubt in anybody's mind now.

[reprobate]

42. This could be called a "PNAC Panic"

In other words, nothing has gone according to plan (what plan)since the invasion. They put their hand picked toady in charge of the.....what the hell do they call it.....Interem Council(?) and lo and behold, he won't play according to plan.

The people are no longer throwing flowers at them. They're throwing RPGs.

And they are finally admitting that the iraqis are supporting the insurgants and not the US invaders.

There's nothing left to do, except.......PANIC!

The one thing wecan be sure of is that this bunch of miscreants will follow this up with something even more stupid than what has already happened.

Meanwhile they are destroying the homes of the very people they want to be their friends. Now that's smart.

[flamingyouth]

43. I'm waiting for Bush to whip his dick out a la LBJ

In response to the question, "Why are we in Iraq?"

[Zero Gravitas]

44. SO IT IS OVER

Any chance of salvaging our occupation of Iraq is over. As insane as the idea was from the start, there was a possibility that some of the PNAC delusions could be made real. A peaceful, prosperous Iraq would be a good thing, but we've lost control of the situation and our own grip on reality. Bombing Baghdad AFTER we "liberated" it is utter madness and can only serve to strengthen the resistance to the occupation.

[nomaco-10]

46. There is no doubt now, our country is being run by a mad man

[FuseONE]

49. hmmm

Hope the Iraqis didn't run out of flowers to throw after the last carpet bombing....cause you know they're probably even more overjoyed now.

[IndianaGreen]

55. It will also increase the number of recruits to the Resistance

as a CNN reporter said during a live broadcast very early this morning, the resistance is primarily average Iraqis that are tired of the US occupation.

[Drifter]

47. Maybe AWOL can ...

land on another carrier to announce the re-start of major combat operations. Wonder what the wording of the backdrop will be. Something like "What ain't done Bombin Yet !"

Cheers
Drifter

[hatrack]

109. "Buh-buh-buh-baby, we just ain't done bombin' yet!"

Here's something, here's something you're never gonna forget,

Our Duh-duh-duh-Daisy Cutters, they'll leave your pants all soaking wet!"

Maybe this is part of ChimpCo's economic plan. This way, they can avoid those inconvenient military inventory buildups, thus goosing the next quarterly economic numbers!

[Cocoa]

50. will this add to the reconstruction costs? n/t

[BlackFrancis]

56. the rumor is..

Bremer has basically come to terms with the fact that his job is impossible. He is going to quit and John Abizaid, chief of CENTCOM has a brand new plan to win. He's going to fire up the tanks and bombers and cease any sort of humanitarian mission or policing at all and make the situation so horrible that theoretically the Iraqi's will just give in and be glad to see us back in the "peacekeeping" role.

I believe that's the formula the Sharon government has been trying in the West Bank and Gaza and it doesn't seem to have worked out very well for them but the word is that they want to give that a shot.

[janx]

60. Where did this rumor come from?

?

[BlackFrancis]

62. josh marshall

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

[janx]

99. Well, that's certainly close to what is happening now.

Thanks for the link!

[nomaco-10]

65. yep, it's the "we're gonna liberate you even if...

it kills you" plan. Also reported, pResident bush* has become "impatient" with the progress, and we all know what that means.

[Zero Gravitas]

66. madness

They can't possibly beleive that brutalizing the local population will actualy improve the situation!

[Cocoa]

69. it that's the plan

then I doubt they will tell us. It will be interesting to hear their version of the plan.

[kayell]

79. A little more shock and awe

since the Iraqis weren't sufficiently shocked and awed the first time.

Next up: after every "terraist" attack we will round up any Iraqi civilians we can find, have them count off, and shoot every 10th one.

[suegeo]

57. CNN pretty boy is calling them terrorists

The overpaid 'ho on CNN is calling the opposition "terrorists." He says the United States (read: the Chimp junta) wants to deny TERRORISTS the use of the building that's being bombed.

If anyone in the ho media cared about accuracy wouldn't a better term for the opposition be guerilla fighters or insurgents?

Oh well, guess that's why the pretty boy makes the big money...

I REALLY hate these people.

THis is not the America I care to live in.

[janx]

63. The MSNBC chick this morning referred to "post-war" Iraq.

These are interesting times, no?

[DeepModem Mom]

72. Bremer came out of the WH today spouting a "terrorist" mantra:

"fighting terrorists in Iraq." CNN has gotten the memo. Another poster pointed out that "fighting terrorism" is the only thing the American people still give W high marks for -- Karl and Co. are running with it.

[nn2004]

80. Some of them are terrorists

The ones who blew up the Red Cross? Terrorists.

The ones who bombed the UN? Terrorists.

The ones killing police and citizens? Terrorists.

The only ones that are not terrorists are the ones wearing
uniforms and fighting the US and other troops.

[IndianaGreen]

97. And the ones that invaded Iraq are also terrorists and criminals

I won't be a good German, unlike others that cheered the invading armies!

[Just Me]

102. Identify who those "terrorists" were,...

[Teaser]

152. actually...

uniforms are not a requirement, either. Cause then they are guerrillas.

[aquart]

104. In my mind, I call them "freedom fighters."

And it really hurts.

[info being]

142. SO TURN THE TV OFF

That is the solution.

[Goldmund]

59. People, I've said it before and I'll say it again

This isn't because "nothing's been going according to plan". THIS HAS BEEN THE PLAN ALL ALONG. Fake best intentions, act as if things are running out of control and going contrary to the plan, and then, gee, seems like we're going to have to do something drastic to stop the attacks. This quagmire was predicted by millions of people around the world with a lot less access to intelligence than those who are making decisions. I'm virtually certain they knew that the occupation was going to turn into a quagmire.

So they've let it fester, stirred the pot, let it grow in intensity until they can look like they have no choice but to re-start the war. This time, I'll be very surprised if the war is contained to Iraq.

Clash of Civilizations, next chapter.

[hang a left]

71. Well if that is the case, and it is a plausible scenario, where are

the carriers?

[Goldmund]

I don't know where the carriers are

And I don't know whether their plan involves carriers, being that they have 150000 troops on the ground; I also don't know if this particular story means that the war has re-started.

What I do know is that it is in our best interest to stop falling for their trick of appearing like bumbling idiots. It's an aspect of their propaganda that we always fall for. These "bumbling idiots" have managed to get their way for the past few decades, against the interests of a huge majority, a lot of which consists of VERY smart people.

If I knew this was going to turn into a mess, and you knew, I presume, and most of my friends knew, and the millions of people who demonstrated against them knew -- don't tell me that Rumsfeld or Cheney or whoever sits in some dark backroom making the calls didn't know. They knew.

And it is more than reasonable to think that this kind of a mess will let them get away with doing much more drastic things than they could back before the Iraq war started.

[DoctorMyEyes]

157. You're making so much sense

that it hurts my head.....

[Just Me]

117. It is hard to sort out the "stirring",,...

I gotta agree with you on one thing,...there is no way anyone can convince me that all of this is NOT more along the lines of an intense political and profitable chess game than it is shear ignorance or stupidity. I will never forget ole' Woosley coming out and "prophesizing" another world war over there. I believe that is exactly what those PNAC emperialists are aiming for,...their "fourth" world war, and they are willing to engage in all kinds of nasty shit to get it. They are putting our whole country on the line and may very well end up being the primary cause of our fall. Their arrogance is simply appalling!!!

[jokerman93]

150. You're the first one I've heard express these thoughts

Seems to me they had no plans for a peace because they had no intention of establishing one. Iraq is just a staging platform for the great regional war Bushco always intended to roll out.

Oh, and that $20b for Iraq reconstruction?

Gone. I'm certain.

[leftchick]

61. baghdad bob arnot on msrnc said it was a US...

premptive strike against the potential motar fire they expect tonight?!? this is truely fucked up...

[IndianaGreen]

70. We have our own Baghdad Bob

Arnot is such a puke and apologist for Bush that it is not even funny. Watching this fool using his broken Arabic to get Iraqis to say they are happy is quite a sight.

[leftchick]

87. I totaly agree IG.....

I had to swallow the bile as I listened to that shill. He really must be insane to come on tv night after night saying all is well with fucking bombs dropping all around him. Don't you just love our murkin media whore?

[FuseONE]

74. .

There's a problem with your "this was the plan all along theory." The more violent it gets over there, the less tolerance the average American has for occupation, which isn't good news for the administration, right? How's it become a good idea NOW to escalate things and risk further deaths? Because Shrub's approval ratings drop with every soldier killed over there.

[Goldmund]

115. True on the surface, but

...if the PNAC gang is going to have its way and achieve its plans for global conquests, they are going to have to challenge the "average American's tolerance". If you read their "Rebuilding Defenses" or whatever-it's-called document, it's obvious that there is no way that this plan could be achieved with the consent of the Average American and his tolerance in tact. BUT, if their starting point is a tangled military mess as opposed to relative peacetime, a few things are made easier: 1) The Average American's tolerance is a relative thing. It all depends on his/her perception of the goal of the war. In WW2 that tolerance was pretty high, in Vietnam higher than it is now. If they make their war appear like they have no other choice ("what's the alternative? To let our boys and girls get picked off like chickens?"), if the war starts looking like it's taking a life of its own and it's no longer an elective war, then the average American's tolerance might change. Before Iraq, Iraqis weren't attacking Americans. Now they are. On their own soil, of course, but the Average American may not care too much about such "technicalities". 2) If things get real heated up, the average American's tolerance may not matter that much any more. The more important thing would be the tolerance of the Congress, which is WAY to high as it is, and can only get higher if things run out of control. 3) Think about a scenario where they produce a situation in which even if * loses next year, his succesor will have no choice but to either finish his job or have the whole world collapse into a global quagmire. I don't specifically know what that scenario could be, but I, at least intuitively, think that it isn't impossible.

[glitch]

don't forget the added benefit of inciting another attack on

american soil. I'm sure they have that factored into their calculations. That should take care of any american tolerance issues. And if it doesn't, well there's always marshall law.

[Cocoa]

100. question for Dr. Bob for tomorrow...

how does he explain that the mortar fire continued, which I expect they will. Did we miss? Then why, and what did we hit by mistake.

[aquart]

108. Pre-emption.

[Junkdrawer]

64. First thread is here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=214619&mesg_id=214619

The Mods locked it when the poster wasn't able to come up with a link. Turns out that the news was probably kept on ice until the operation was further along.

[janx]

89. Yep, and it turns out that this started on Friday,

now according to CNN.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

107. yup friday Pentagon oredered "complete press blackout"

[IndianaGreen]

114. There are no security reasons for a press blackout

The Iraqis don't have radio or TV, except those with satellite dishes and they watch the Arab stations. Iraqis also know what is going on when they hear explosions.

Any press blackout is intended to keep the American people in the dark.

If this bombing began last Friday, as some DUers have shown, then the question is this:

Was the bombing of the Italian compound retaliation for our bombing?

I want to know the answer to that!

[Junkdrawer]

122. During the Cold War, most secrecy was to keep information...

from the American public - the Soviets knew most "top-secret" details. Seems that proud tradition continues...

[janx]

131. That thought crossed my mind as well.

But there's no way to know the answer now.

[Barrett808]

121. Is there a link for this?

I want to forward to some folks.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

127. last tuesday a thread re: "press blackout"..might be one there

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=199403

[Barrett808]

149. I remember that thread, and I didn't see any actual link documenting...

...a blackout order. Not that I don't suspect such an order is in effect, but it would be nice to get some documentation.

[janx]

140. Woa! You're right...you mentioned that some talking head

said this, but people here dismissed it because we couldn't find anything about it. And now we wonder why we haven't heard anything... I'll be darned! Thanks for the reminder.

[TexasPatriot]

68. what's all this i hear about a free iraq

Rosanne: The president keeps saying free iraq, free iraq, well I dont understand why. I mean, everything in NY costs money - how come everything in Iraq has to be free. I, Rosanne Rosannadanna dont make a lot of money... so I have to pay for things. Like the other day, I had to buy feminine products - and you know - I didn't have enough money, so I says to the guy "Hey, I dont have enough money for these, can I have em" and the guy says no so I went to the bathroom and...

Jane: Rosanne, please stop.

Rosanne: Oh, sorry Jane... I guess miss bigwig news anchor has enough money for everything. But anyway - so I see all this bombing in Iraq and I say to myself "Hey, Rosanne Rosannadanna, maybe that guy in that building didn't want to make his building free. Maybe he was charging too much rent. Maybe he didnt want to give the land to the President so he could build a baseball stadium. Maybe he...

Jane: Rosanne, the president doesn't mean 'free' as in how much you pay, he means free as in not subject to the control or domination of another.

Rosanne: Um, Jane - are you watching the same news I am? Well, anyway Jane, I guess it just goest to show you - it's always something. If it's not one thing, its another. Either you're blowing up buildings in the suburbs or your president is a chimp. Back to you Jane

[jayfish]

81. Awesome! Gilda Would Be Proud. -NT-

Jay

[LittleApple81]

90. This is wonderful. Please print it and send it to SNL. They have

gone down the toilet. This might remind them of what they used to be like...
edit: spelling

[janx]

76. Wait a minute!!! CNN is reporting now that the bombing has been

going on for days!

Did I miss something? Was this reported? There were rumors on DU, but was it reported in the news?!

CNN "This is very much like the bombings we've been seeing in the past several days..."

??

Can someone help me out here?

[nomaco-10]

94. Yep, CNN has seen them, but we're not....

allowed to. They are mentioned in passing almost daily with no video or on the ground eye witness reports. Strange, ain't it?

[kayell]

101. Nothing out of the ordinary, move along now

Those bloody corpses of Iraqi civilians? They've been here all along too. No need to fuss, now back to the shark attacks, Lacy Peterson, and only xx shopping days until christmas!

[catmandu57]

77. Pnac version of urban renewal

this will be spun as a more efficient method of clearing the urban landscape.

[Catherine Vincent]

78. So basically they're blowing up empty buildings?

[imax2268]

83. Defense contractors are

having an orgasm evertime a bomb hits if it is empty...

more money for them...more bombs for W

[nomaco-10]

82. Today's bombings are being reported on CNN as .....

matter of factly news and business as usual in Baghdad. Strange.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

84. i broke this story at 9:30 this morning..but thread was locked "Not LBN"

yeah right!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=214619&mesg_id=214619

[IndianaGreen]

91. Take your complaint to the "Comment-at-your-own-risk" forum

and good luck!

[janx]

93. the media have known about this for quite some time, it seems.

They did not report it. Now they are saying that this bombing business began last Friday!

[nolabels]

105. Now who doesn't believes you don't get the news first here at DU

Maybe its not fair and balanced all the time but at least its :kick:

[henslee]

139. why wuz thread locked?

Why wouldnt this thread just be a continuation of the one you just mentioned. Sometimes the logic of this forum seems counterintuitive. I

[jayfish]

92. Could This Be One Big Ruse?

Here my scenario. Start the bombing again so when insurgent forces mortar or IED our troops W* can say. "There were no attacks on coalition forces today. What you were hearing was US bombing."?

Jay

[Barrett808]

95. CNN story is up

Blasts rock Baghdad during U.S. operations
At least 25 killed in blast at Italian base
Wednesday, November 12, 2003 Posted: 2:05 PM EST (1905 GMT)

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. forces launched operations Wednesday in southern Baghdad, Pentagon officials said, hours after a bombing that killed at least 25 people at the Italian military police headquarters in Nasiriya.

A CNN crew in the city heard dozens of explosions that persisted for at least a half hour.

Pentagon officials said the operation targeted a building that was believed to have been used by opposition forces. Officials from the 1st Armored Division in Baghdad said its units were involved.

Two U.S. warplanes on Monday dropped two bombs south of Baghdad on targets suspected of being a hideout and a weapons storage area for anti-U.S. forces, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.

A U.S. military statement said Monday's bombing was intended to send a message to insurgents. The bombs, each 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition precision weapons, were dropped from two F-16s.

(more)

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/11/12/sprj.irq.main/index.html

[janx]

103. Was this reported on Monday?

Something is very strange here.

[54anickel]

110. Ya, but we only used itty bitty 500 lb bombs before...

Looking for the link...

There are several, google news for 500 pound bombs

http://www.spacewar.com/2003/031109142941.1ayajghj.html

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/nov2003/tikr-n11.shtml
here's a quote from this 2nd one:

A US officer speaking on condition of anonymity said the army was on “offensive operations” and that the attacks would continue for several days. “You can expect to see an increase in the level of intensity and the amount of activity,” he said. In a chilling reminder of US terror in Vietnam, the officer continued: “Part of warfare is coercion and affecting the hearts and minds of the enemy”.

[aquart]

132. Yup. It's called "terrorism."

Nothing like "coercion" to win those hearts and minds.

[janx]

133. This is insane, especially since it wasn't really reported.

We know NOTHING about what is going on over there.

[LittleApple81]

111. They refer to it as "facility"... will we know if "facility" means "town"?

n/t

[hail to the thief]

96. Any day now

When oh when will there be a revolution in this country and throw out this war criminal and his thugs? This is wholesale murder and Bush and his cronies should be taken out from Washington in chains and transported directly to the Hague. How can anybody even deceive themselves with thinking we live in a democracy? Halliburton and the Carlyle group boys gave a holler to chimp in chief to deal with this dang EYE-RAK problem, to protect their investment; always maximize shareholder's return remember!

[Copperred]

112. what do Americans know about revolution.....gmab

is the revolution ready to begin?

your sure your an American?

prove it...

[hail to the thief]

129. Actually......

I'm Peruvian Copperred lol :) but I am a naturalized American. How can this happen? I grew up in this country this is not the America I know and love, something happened. This has really become a fascist state, and no one in the mainstream media/press could even begin to give a crap.

[_NorCal_D_]

106. Mission Accomplished.........

How many more have to die in this illegal war? :(

[The_Casual_Observer]

116. Why would an air strike be necessary?

Don't we have the home court advantage in Iraq? From what we have been led to believe by Bremer, things are going well there. It would seem that if there is a suspected hideout, that we would be able to go and check it out, and fix the problem at close range. The method used is either chicken or things are much worse that they are saying.

[Cocoa]

125. one of many unanswered questions

I haven't seen any answer to your very good question.

And if they have their positions so effectively guarded that even though we know exactly where they are we can't take them, then we shouldn't be calling them terrorists, we should be calling them the Iraqi military we never beat.

[54anickel]

134. Didn't Saddam say his military would defeat us using very

unconventional means? I remember a DUer bringing this up once before. Maybe it's not so far fetched, he's got most of our troops in a pretty condensed area now. Let us hope he doesn't have anything nasty hiding away to use on them now. Perhaps he'll wait until Bremer returns.:tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat:

[kayell]

118. Well this should really impress those Brits preparing for

the chimps state visit. "See what we can do if you don't show enough adulation!"

[xxqqqzme]

120. the more successful the resistance is

the more desperate squatter becomes....or was it the reverse of that?.....I forget

[janx]

136. Freeper idea of the great American Hero:

[henslee]

153. Man, your photo/caption is heelarious!! thanx 4 laffs.

[lebkuchen]

126. a sign of progress, that the Iraqi resistance is paying off

reducing the Bushies to frantic straw-grasping.

How much does one of those bombs cost us, by the way?

[kayell]

128. Do you suppose * is trying to ramp up the war

in the hopes of triggering another terra attack on US soil? In some mad hope to gain that popularity kick in the polls as the only one who can save us (praise Jaysus for our only saviour, Lord Shrub)?

I'm going to go hide in a closet with my tinfoil hat now. I suspect that I must be cracking up. Surely our beloved freedom loving country could not be this insane. It must be me.

[glitch]

144. I have the same hat

I just said the same thing upthread. That will teach me to read all the posts before I post.
BTW, where do you get your hat re-tinned? Mine needs some new siding.

[jokerman93]

158. Yeah Maybe He's Trying to Provoke Another 9/11

Georgie-boy must really miss those heady days when he walked in a God-annointed golden glow of impunity and righteous wrath back in the Fall of 2001.

Murcuns are just as dumb as he is after all. Nostalgia might bring his numbers back up!

Bombing the hell out of Iraq again might still give some good Muricans a woody and win some votes. After all, it would be easier than using part of his $200m political war chest to finance another 9/11 style attack -- as originally planned!

on edit
(this is sarcasm)

[Liberal Veteran]

130. Fox News Headline will be: "Progress Explodes Throughout Iraq!"

Damn these people make me fucking sick!

[RedEarth]

135. That is unbelievable.......the absolute worst network in the world..

I never watch that network or go to their web site....I can't handle it.

[_NorCal_D_]

159. I wouldn't be surprised

:puke:

[peterh]

137. I guess the defense contractors finished replenishing the stocks

Now, we need to start tearing into that inventory ahead of the next big order. Just your standard inventory management…..gotta keep those P.O.s moving, that’s where the economy kick is at. And, maybe Halliburton was starting to run out of projects, thus we needed to break some more things and keep them going. And maybe….someone slap me….please…

[kayell]

146. Thwap...Thwap!

Calm down man, pull yourself together, getting all hysterical won't solve anything, even if the world is falling apart, our pResident is a madman, our military is shooting at families of chicken and date farmers, Iraqis are shooting helicopters out of the sky, and every day it looks more and more and more and more like Viet Nam and ... and .... AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[VolcanoJen]

138. Message from the Moderator

ElsewheresDaughter started an LBN thread on this topic earlier today, which probably shouldn't have been locked.

However, a decision has been made to keep the discussion about the resumed major combat operations consolidated in this LBN thread.

DUers interested in reading about this story as it broke and developed this morning are encouraged to visit ElsewheresDaughter's original LBN thread, which can be found here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=214619&mesg_id=214619

There's some very good information in that thread. Thanks, ElsewheresDaughter, for breaking the news for DUers!

Thanks!
VolcanoJen
DU Moderator

[silverchair]

143. this admin has got to go

i pray in 2004 shrub will be history. i am sick of people dying on an almost daily basis all for some corp's greed and selfishness.

[Emboldened Chimp]

145. I think they will go in '04

Question is, how much damage will they do by then? I fear it will be too much for the next president to handle.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

147. manco your post echos my thoughts and fears

[Hoppin_Mad]

154. I hope it doesn't preempt the ROSIE coverage

To MSNBC and CNN, THIS is the most important news story in 'Murica.

[Copperred]

155. time to stay home...no one will trust us for a very long time

the ONLY way to win the war on terror... i repeat THE ONLY WAY...

is to incite and support true democratic revolutions in countries of risk.....iraq could have been a shining example of that....however it is what it is now....and NOTHING will change that...the Arabs rightfully hate blind Christian white Americans who obey their masters beleiving American actually has some connection to Jesus..which it does not.... progressive forces in the US no matter how hard we try, are going to find it near impoossible to beat the military/media complex unless it is done in a truely American way....just removing Bush in 04..does NOT equal success...

as to other countries we have a current chance in helping indigenous elements pull off true democratic revolutions, u have Pakistan of which the western half should be rejoined with Afghanistan, Iran which has alot of democrats waiting in the wings, and others.......but it will take a brain to do these things... A BRAIN... the answer is not to unilaterally invade any of these countries.

this war has been lost...and it's not going to be so easy to wash our hands of it like vietnam...the fallout will be much bigger in many other ways than just loss of innocence an pride and for a very long time to come.... these are not veitcong people...ur talking 1.5 billion Muslims with lots of money and trusted friends from Moscow to Bejing to the EU. Furthermore, they actually are fighting for their own relative liberty from the USofA...sadly they arnt ones to uphold it for others (islamic facism sucks just as much as what we have been up to)....but then again...that is just like us.

no doubt the islamic world is full of tyrants and military regimes, and many of the people under their rule would like to revolt up against them....however we don't seem to see the reason in actually taking the time to do it right and working and growing these englighted pockets of democratic pluristic light....

"there is only one way, the right way"... -Wife of the DNC Chairman from a long time ago.

sadly it appears america has truly duped itself, while leading the rest of the world to see nothing but fraud.

smart people, and to think I'm one of them....
ohioboy

[Barrett808]

156. New CNN report: escaping van hit by Apaches, 2 killed , 5 detained

U.S. attacks insurgents in Iraq
At least 25 killed in blast at Italian base
Wednesday, November 12, 2003 Posted: 3:29 PM EST (2029 GMT)

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. forces launched two attacks on Iraqi insurgents late Wednesday, military officials said, hours after a bombing that killed at least 25 people at the Italian military police headquarters in Nasiriya.

One attack occurred in western Baghdad and another in the southern part of the city, said Capt. David Gercken, a spokesman for the U.S. Army's 1st Armored Division.

The attack in the western part of the Iraqi capital targeted guerrillas who had launched mortar shells at U.S. troops, Gercken said.

Those insurgents were trying to escape in a van when Apache attack helicopters struck, killing two people inside, the spokesman said. Three others were wounded and five detained, he said.

In the attack in southern Baghdad, an AC-130 Spectre gunship was called in to destroy a warehouse used by Iraqi insurgents to meet and plan attacks against U.S. forces around the capital, Gercken said. He said the number of casualties was unclear.

(more)

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/11/12/sprj.irq.main/index.html

[UpInArms]

160. UPDATE: U.S. Forces Launch Operation in Baghdad

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=1&u=/ap/20031112/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ iraq_blasts

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S.-led coalition forces launched a military operation in Baghdad late Wednesday, targeting a facility used by insurgents and setting off explosions that reverberated through the Iraqi capital.

"The facility is a known meeting, planning, storage and rendezvous point for belligerent elements currently conducting attacks on coalition forces and infrastructure," the Pentagon (news - web sites) said in a statement from Washington.

"The destruction of this structure will deny enemy forces any use of it in the future."

...more...

[VolcanoJen]

162. PLEASE CONTINUE DISCUSSION IN LBN THREAD #2

This thread has grown large enough to warrant a second thread. Please continue discussion in Thread #2, which can be found here:

CNN - US is Bombing - Major Operations - LBN THREAD #2

Thanks!
VolcanoJen
DU Moderator