New Meaning To Shock And Awe, Five Years Into Iraq War, Reporter Finds Success Is Being Redefined

[maddezmom]

(CBS) This Reporter's Notebook was written by CBS News correspondent Allen Pizzey.
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Five years after the invasion of Iraq was launched under the Hollywood-like sobriquet “shock and awe,” so many shocking things have happened that almost nothing about the place shocks anyone any more.

“Awe,” on the other hand, is an apt description what the statements of U.S. politicians inspire in a correspondent just back from his fourth Baghdad rotation in the past 12 months.

Speaking to American troops, Vice President Dick Cheney, who can claim no small measure of credit for thinking the whole thing up, called the invasion of Iraq “a successful endeavor.” His definition of “successful” seemed to be summed up by his attempt at rallying the troops, many of whom are on second and third deployments which now last more than a year.

“We have no intention of abandoning our friends,” he said, “or allowing this country of 170,000 square kilometers to become a staging ground for further attacks against Americans.”

more:http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/18/notebook/main3948777.shtml

[aquart]

1. Uh, Dick. They didn't attack us in the first place.

[Botany]

2. That would be right ....

... "They didn't attack us in the first place."

I turned off bush when he talked about "American troops
fighting their way through enemy forces on the way to
Baghdad."

I was screaming @ the radio "they are Iraqis who see us as an invading
enemy."

We start year 6 today in a war an occupation based on lies.