Video: ABC News says the surge is working in some parts of Baghdad
posted at 11:53 am on April 4, 2007 by Allahpundit
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Security ops in Baghdad have chased some of the scum into other provinces, with the result an increase in violence last month outside the capital and a drop in violent deaths inside — sharply enough that they’re down across Iraq as a whole (but notably not for Iraqi policemen). The ABC clip tells the same basic story but that still won’t prepare for you the shock of seeing kids riding merry go rounds and the reporter stopping off for ice cream. He makes clear that it’s not like that everywhere, but the fact that it’s like that anywhere is startling to me, at least. Excellent job by ABC and Terry McCarthy for having the balls to go out and get this footage.
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What? Is this some belated April fools joke?
darwin on April 4, 2007 at 11:56 AM
When I was watching this a part of me was going yeah I am glad they are showing this and then another part of me was waiting for the credits to roll across the screen with the reporters name and contact information and the notice that GPS coordinates of the area available to insurgents on demand.
They show this, the insurgents stage an attack on this area and he will be right back to paint the gloom and doom story. The insurgents know this, the press know this, and the people rooting for our failure in Iraq know this.
LakeRuins on April 4, 2007 at 12:00 PM
seeing kids playgrounds filling up is still a nice thing
Defector01 on April 4, 2007 at 12:14 PM
Good story, I’m glad they showed it.
Meanwhile, Michael Ware’s reaction: “WHAT!?! FUN!?! Are you kidding? There is no ice cream in Baghdad!”
CP on April 4, 2007 at 12:14 PM
The mainstream media is actually reporting this? In that case, this deserves the flying pig!
Capitalist Infidel on April 4, 2007 at 12:27 PM
Dunno. Some of those playgrounds are pretty menacing on a normal day, welded metal swing sets, welded metal seats with wood seats – knock your teeth out if you’re not careful. Bad landscaping habit of lining walkways with stones or bricks, in a manner most likely to trip the unwary tag-player. Third World countries would do well by their kids by investing in some of those rubber swing seats. Course it is amusing to notice all the playground equipment being happily used that is no longer available in the US thanks to over litigation of children’s playtime.
naliaka on April 4, 2007 at 12:36 PM
When I was watching this a part of me was going yeah I am glad they are showing this and then another part of me was waiting for the credits to roll across the screen with the reporters name and contact information and the notice that GPS coordinates of the area available to insurgents on demand.
They show this, the insurgents stage an attack on this area and he will be right back to paint the gloom and doom story. The insurgents know this, the press know this, and the people rooting for our failure in Iraq know this.
LakeRuins on April 4, 2007 at 12:00 PM
R D on April 4, 2007 at 12:36 PM
This report will have the Democrats spinning their heads and spitting green slime. They will be abhorred that a blip of good news could result from a plan put forth by Bush. The thought that there might be some hope of winning in Iraq will be repugnant to them and only increase the urgency that the troops be withdrawn NOW !
Maxx on April 4, 2007 at 12:39 PM
Two hopeful things to take from that. One, they’ve lost the initiative, and they have to attack on the run. Two, the locals in these places that haven’t been dealing with this probably aren’t very happy about their new visitors, and they know who they are. None of this bodes well for the jihad.
Pablo on April 4, 2007 at 12:40 PM
I will let you know about 10 AM EST Friday. You do know that the bad guys plan the bombs to explode in time to be covered by our press and reported on ad naseum all day. You don’t hear of too many explosions occurring at 2 in the afternoon do you? Our press are the jihadis biggest tools.
LakeRuins on April 4, 2007 at 12:43 PM
Michael Ware is the new Baghdad Bob?
James on April 4, 2007 at 12:47 PM
No common sense allowed and no fun allowed…. that’s the liberal creed.
Maxx on April 4, 2007 at 12:48 PM
I was a playground safety inspector for a couple years. You don’t know just how right you area.
thomashton on April 4, 2007 at 1:00 PM
This must’ve been painful to report, but give credit where credit is due.
Meanwhile, over at HuffPo: “See? This is just more proof that the media is biased! It’s the conservative media gone wild!” Nah, I just made that up :-)
Tony737 on April 4, 2007 at 1:01 PM
You can’t, on the one hand, claim that they never cover good news, then level paranoid accusations about them when they do.
Just be grateful they’re actually telling the story.
DaveS on April 4, 2007 at 1:05 PM
Hehe. Went to a Lebanese-owned restuarant and playground. In half an hour, one of our kids had sustained a swiping cut across the face by the corner of the wood swing, and the other kid almost had his teeth knocked out by another swing. One fell off the merry-go round (painted welded rebar seats at waist height) and nearly had the back of his head clipped in by the next seat as he raised his head to reorient himself. Lebanese parents were blissfully unconcerned by the slice and dice equipment they’ll sent their children out to. Fatalistically unperturbed. Retreated to the abundant Lebanese food, which made up for the playground menace.
naliaka on April 4, 2007 at 1:18 PM
You are right and I am glad they are reporting it, but I wonder why they couldn’t this before the surge. You know the surge that is working. The surge that if it succeeds will be bad news for liberals everywhere. The surge that cannot succeed. There is a part of me that is glad this is being shown even though we had to wait until it was within walking distance of the reporters bunkers in the Green Zone.
I am now so skeptical of the press’ motivations nowadays that yes I do believe they want the terrorists to rain on the parade. If the terrorists feel they no longer control the news cycle they will do something to get the propaganda message back on track and toeing the line they have outlined.
LakeRuins on April 4, 2007 at 1:19 PM
Hm. ABC’s surge against NBC will succeed if they keep this sort of thing up.
aengus on April 4, 2007 at 1:29 PM
Makes Ware look like a Jackass huh?
No wonder people are turning to ABC.
TheBigOldDog on April 4, 2007 at 1:52 PM
This reminded me of some of the clips MM showed upon return from Iraq. That is, normal activity, like all the street traffic and now kids playing, occurring in a city that is supposed to be in the midst of a civil war. I’m glad one of the Big Three (their words, not mine) is showing that, despite the efforts of the insurgents to disrupt, the Iraqi people can, and do, live a normal life.
RedinBlueCounty on April 4, 2007 at 1:56 PM
We might get some indication of when something bad is going to happen from watching those ice cream parlors and playgrounds too. If one day the place looks deserted, there might be a reason why. I have a feeling that in some cases the people know before the security forces do when someone bad is about to happen.
crosspatch on April 4, 2007 at 2:49 PM
And Rosie’s reaction to this is?
georgej on April 4, 2007 at 3:48 PM
The only thing between our magnificent troops under General Petraeus and success in Iraq are the treasonous, low-life Democrats.
Phil Byler on April 4, 2007 at 4:03 PM
Great to hear some good news out of Iraq, even back in 2003 this issue was being addressed,
What about the “vision” of the ideology of the News Organization, the reporter, and the political agenda they are trying to push?
PinkyBigglesworth on April 4, 2007 at 4:07 PM
Michael Ware? Who?
Ya know? I wanna know MICHAEL MOORE’S reaction!
He’ll probably claim that they stole his footage from before the invasion. Remember?
Everyone was happy in Iraq before we got there…
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT….
-Wasteland Man.
WastelandMan on April 4, 2007 at 8:39 PM
Somewhere Michael Ware is fuming! Who wants to bet he says something outrageous about this tomorrow just to get a post up on the blogs and get more viewers that way, than CNN would otherwise have?
RightWinged on April 4, 2007 at 9:18 PM
Strange that before the election the MSM wouldn’t report anything positive from Iraq but now that the election is said and done and a bunch of cut and run appeasers are in office they suddenly report positive stories.
Yakko77 on April 4, 2007 at 9:47 PM
Not really… this is actually more of a fluke. But ABC has begun to stand out as the most fair of the 3 networks. NBC has veered WAY left to match CBS, and in turn they’ve fallen behind ABC that, while still having a bias, comes off as “fair” by comparison. But again, this is just one story, and I think one could make the case that this is to balance out Rosie O’Donnell at ABC. Really though, I just don’t think it has anything to do with the elections, just a fluke situation.
RightWinged on April 4, 2007 at 11:33 PM
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