Iraqi footballers' fury at Bush

[Chewbacca]

I take it they don't like the new Bush commercial, eh.

Link

Iraq's successful Olympic football team has launched an outspoken attack on US President George W Bush.
Midfielder Salih Sadir said the team - which won its group stage in Greece - was angry it had been used in Mr Bush's re-election campaign ads.

One accused the US leader of committing "many crimes", and another said he would be fighting US troops if not for Athens.

Their comments were made in a US Sports Illustrated magazine interview.

Salih Sadir said he was angry at Mr Bush's campaign adverts showing pictures of the Afghan and Iraqi flags with the words: "At this Olympics there will be two more free nations - and two fewer terrorist regimes".

"Iraq as a team does not want Mr Bush to use us for the presidential campaign," said the Iraqi player.

"He can find another way to advertise himself."

He called for US troops to be withdrawn from Iraq. "We don't wish for the presence of the Americans in our country. We want them to go away."

Another star player, 22-year-old Ahmed Manajid, asked: "How will [Mr Bush] meet his god having slaughtered so many men and women? He has committed so many crimes."

'Best people'

Mr Manajid, from Falluja - a hotbed of armed opposition to the US-led occupation in Iraq - said if he was not playing football "for sure" he would be fighting as part of the resistance.

"I want to defend my home. If a stranger invades America and the people resist, does that mean they are terrorists?" he asked.

"Everyone [in Falluja] has been labelled a terrorist. These are all lies. Falluja people are some of the best people in Iraq."

The team said they were glad Iraq's former Olympic committee head Uday Hussein - Saddam Hussein's notorious son killed by US forces after the invasion - was no longer in charge.

But coach Adnan Hamad said he was concerned with what the Bush administration was doing in Iraq.

"My problems are not with the American people. They are with what America has done in Iraq: destroy everything," he said.

"The American army has killed so many people in Iraq. What is freedom when I go to the stadium and there are shootings on the road?"

Mr Bush's spokesman defended the war on Iraq and the campaign adverts.

"The ad simply talks about President Bush's optimism and how democracy has triumphed over terror," he was quoted by the Press Association as saying.

"Twenty-five million people in Iraq are free as a result of the actions of the coalition."

[The Hierophant]

Well, I've always believed that it takes a special creed of fool to be swayed by such blatant campaign sleaze as election propaganda adverts anyway.

[Magness]

Maybe the new Iraqi government can arrange for some of its people to torture the Iraqi soccer team when they eventually lose, just to make them feel right at home in good ole' Iraq.

*shakes head*

Ungrateful turds.

[Cerek the Barbaric]

Originally posted by Chewbacca: I take it they don't like the new Bush commercial, eh. Link Iraq's successful Olympic football team has launched an outspoken attack on US President George W Bush. Midfielder Salih Sadir said the team - which won its group stage in Greece - was angry it had been used in Mr Bush's re-election campaign ads. One accused the US leader of committing "many crimes", and another said he would be fighting US troops if not for Athens. Their comments were made in a US Sports Illustrated magazine interview. Salih Sadir said he was angry at Mr Bush's campaign adverts showing pictures of the Afghan and Iraqi flags with the words: "At this Olympics there will be two more free nations - and two fewer terrorist regimes". "Iraq as a team does not want Mr Bush to use us for the presidential campaign," said the Iraqi player. "He can find another way to advertise himself."

Well, technically, the ad is correct, although it may be considered poor taste for Bush to tie the Olympics into the Iraqi War in order to put a positive spin on it. I can understand that Iraqi's don't like having American troops in thier homeland and their cities, I suppose they preferred living under Saddam - if you just stayed quiet, kept a low profile, and got lucky, then you didn't have to worry about being tortured or killed for now reason.

He called for US troops to be withdrawn from Iraq. "We don't wish for the presence of the Americans in our country. We want them to go away."

And Bush has started the process of reducing the American forces in Iraq. Of course, as any student of history knows, they can NOT just pull up and leave or utter chaos will result. Even Kerry won't be pulling the troops out of Iraq immediately or completely - although he has proposed a plan (considered foolhardy by opponents) to pull most of them out within a year and rely on the U.N. to help make up the difference. Even if his plan succeeds, Iraq will STILL have foreign troops on their soil, it just that the troops won't be mostly American.

Hmmmmmm...come to think of it, that might not be so bad after all. Let the rest of the nations have a taste of "policing" Iraq for a change. Let the rebels shoot at their soldiers that are there trying to help them and let the U.N. be judged under the same microscope that America is. Sounds good to me.

Another star player, 22-year-old Ahmed Manajid, asked: "How will [Mr Bush] meet his god having slaughtered so many men and women? He has committed so many crimes."

Yes, let's focus on the men and women that have been killed in the last year and a half and just forget about the thousands upon thousands killed before then. If Ahmed wonders how Bush will meet God, I wonder how he feels about Saddam's chances with Allah?

'Best people' Mr Manajid, from Falluja - a hotbed of armed opposition to the US-led occupation in Iraq - said if he was not playing football "for sure" he would be fighting as part of the resistance. "I want to defend my home. If a stranger invades America and the people resist, does that mean they are terrorists?" he asked. "Everyone [in Falluja] has been labelled a terrorist. These are all lies. Falluja people are some of the best people in Iraq."

I wasn't aware that everyone in Falluja had been labelled a terrorist. I am aware that the terrorist hide among the general population, making it virtually impossible to tell which ones are terrorists and which ones aren't. And since many of the early American casualties occurred when they were lured into ambushes by "citizens" pretending to need help, it's only natural that U.S. troops are suspicious of all citizens. Of course, that problem would be solved easily if we could just convince the terrorist to wear shirts emblazoned with a large "T".

The team said they were glad Iraq's former Olympic committee head Uday Hussein - Saddam Hussein's notorious son killed by US forces after the invasion - was no longer in charge.

Wow, the team is actually glad they no longer face severe beatings and harsh tortures for failing to perform at an "acceptable level". [img]graemlins/wow.gif[/img] Glad we could help, but please, no thanks are necessary. [img]graemlins/headshake.gif[/img]

But coach Adnan Hamad said he was concerned with what the Bush administration was doing in Iraq. "My problems are not with the American people. They are with what America has done in Iraq: destroy everything," he said.

I don't doubt that daily living conditions in some areas are actually worse right now than they were before the war. Unfortunately, any war results in a lot of collateral damage. But those things can be rebuilt, replaced, or restored...and then the Iraqi's will actually have a chance to live their lives in the same conditions as before the war...only without the threat of political beatings, torture, imprisonment or murder hanging over their heads.

"The American army has killed so many people in Iraq. What is freedom when I go to the stadium and there are shootings on the road?"

He is right, of course. Why do the American soldiers insist on returning fire when they are attacked?

Mr Bush's spokesman defended the war on Iraq and the campaign adverts. "The ad simply talks about President Bush's optimism and how democracy has triumphed over terror," he was quoted by the Press Association as saying. "Twenty-five million people in Iraq are free as a result of the actions of the coalition."

Again, technically correct, but still a rather cheesy effort to put a positive spin on the War in Iraq.

[Timber Loftis]

Great post Magness and Cerek.

[Aerich]

A misleading article, IMO.

The article is mistitled. It is named "footballers fury" because some editor hack liked the alliteration and didn't read the article. The little paragraph preceding the actual quotes also does a "good" job of channeling the reader into the writer's slant about what was said by the Iraqis.

I don't see any "fury" here. I see resentment by Iraqis at the attempt to make American political hay from the Iraqi Olympic team. I see resentment of Bush's grand sweeping statements. They are also asking hypothetical questions on the world stage to challenge the manner in which the US has pursued its objectives.

The athletes are unhappy with the current situation; they have been promised freedom and a better (read: safer, more peaceful, and more prosperous) life, and they want it NOW. They don't quite understand yet that it is a long process. The athletes are showing their dissatisfaction with the reality and what was promised; or more correctly, their conception of what was promised.

[ 08-23-2004, 05:07 PM: Message edited by: Aerich ]

[Timber Loftis]

Maybe they'd clue into how far they've come if we put Uday's old crew back in charge. Of course, then we wouldn't get to hear *this* group of athletes whine next time -- nor any of their family.

I'm stealing this from another site, but I like it:

People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them.
-- Eric Hoffer


I think every time we try to be the hand we go awry. We're a pretty good boot, and maybe we should just stick to what we do best.

[Aerich]

And where in the quotes did they say that they preferred Saddam, Uday, and co.?

I don't see it as whining. I see it as freedom of speech. If you can't comment about your country and things happening in it, there's something wrong.

Some ironies here, of course.

[pritchke]

I would be a little ticked if I felt I were being exploited by some higher power. While it is partially true what is in the ads the players are at the Olympics because they are that countries best. Wasn't Iraq banned from competing in the Olympics, if so doesn't that make Bush's ad somewhat false.

If they get Gold would Bush take credit himself?

[ 08-23-2004, 05:58 PM: Message edited by: pritchke ]

[Timber Loftis]

Wasn't Iraq banned from competing in the Olympics, if so doesn't that make Bush's ad somewhat false.

Not really. They were banned because they were headed up by a tyrant. Now they are free, headed by an interim government whose main task is to help the country freely elect its replacement.