Heavily Guarded Evans Says Iraq Dangers Overblown

[Khephra]

Heavily Guarded Evans Says Iraq Dangers Overblown
By REUTERS

Published: October 14, 2003


Filed at 1:20 p.m. ET

snip.............

``This is not the dismal, frightened area I expected to see having watched the news coverage in the United States over the past six months,'' Evans said after a day of meetings -- traveling under heavy military guard -- with Iraqi students, food distribution workers and small business owners.

snip...........

Evans said incidents such as another suicide car bombing on Sunday in which six Iraqis died were ``isolated acts of terrorism'' that -- however painful -- falsely masked a much-improved security situation in Iraq.

He said milestones like the restoration of power to above pre-war levels and the re-openings of hospitals, clinics and schools across the country showed substantial progress has been made over the past six months.

But at a Middle East power conference in Abu Dhabi on Monday, a senior Iraqi electricity ministry official said Iraq needed an immediate investment of about $8 billion to generate enough electricity just to meet present demands.

On a visit to a warehouse stuffed with U.S. food aid and commodities purchased under the U.N. oil-for-food program, Evans listened as a worker complained that his community of 60,000 people outside Baghdad was still without power or water.

more.............

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/politics/politics-iraq-usa-evans.html

[lebkuchen]

1. Seems like a few days ago when our military was surrounded

by hundreds of protesters in Baghdad, our helicopters were flying in for support.

But as long as everything is going so well, here's an idea to make it go even better: bring in 10,000 Turkish military for added "security."

[IndianaGreen]

2. ``Hello from President Bush,'' he said. ``He cares about you.''

The GIs should have left this guy in the middle of Baghdad, alone, so he gets a chance to taste the peace and tranquility of the country.

The news from Iraq sound more and more like something that George Orwell or Philip K. Dick would have written.

[denverbill]

3. Damned funny headline.

[Khephra]

4. Irony is NOT dead

You only have to read the headlines these days to see that.

:evilgrin:

[Gin]

5. put him out ..alone.. on the streets to meet and greet from uncle

george....then check his pants.

[Journeyman]

6. In a heavily guarded convoy, wearing kevlar body armor. . .

I could cheerily tell you all, "Comptom seems quite pleasant, even at 2 am."

[JackDragna]

7. "Iraq is completely safe."

"I don't see any quagmire here, do you? Look around. Why, my heavily guarded compound is nearly impervious to the lunatics waiting about to shoot our troops. Yes, it's a vertiable paradise."

[leftchick]

8. saw a prt of his interview on CNN with wolfwhore today...

he looked like he was in a freakin bunker for cripes sakes. His backdrop was very pathetic and transparent, even to a murkin I would guess!

[David Zephyr]

9. As With Leftchick, Evan's CNN Interview Was Hillarious

Evans kept repeating over and over how he'd been "driving around" Baghdad implying that he was just tooling around on his own in a sedan all by himself to insinuate that the streets of Baghdad were just that safe.

Of course, here's the NY Times having fun with Evans by pointing out that he is "heavily guarded" at all times.

The Bush/Rice PR Campaign of "positive developments" in Iraq is one of the most humorous things the White House has come up with in a long time.

Yesterday's White House spin that "the attacks on Sunday" were a "positive sign" because "they could have been worse than they were" was repeated on all networks, but most laughable by the Fox Anchors.

Who needs sitcoms?

[morebunk]

10. Terrorism is always 'isolated acts' WTF does he mean?

One act per day seems like a lot to me.

[NNN0LHI]

11. This is really hilarious n/t

[prolesunited]

12. His father must be turning in his grave

This was not the legacy he left him. Why the f*ck are so-called Dems agreeing to be part of Bush's smoke and mirrors PR campaign.

[Voltaire99]

13. This underscores: US soldiers' lives are meaningless to the administration

This is the wisest conclusion you can draw from pathologically upbeat officials who want you to look beyond the corpses to the "good news."

Pull out the troops now.

[symbolman]

14. Monty Python seems fitting here..

Some things in life are bad,

They can really make you mad,
Other things just make you swear and curse,
When you're chewing your life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle,
And this'll help things turn out for the best,
And.....
Always look on the bright side of life.

Always look on the light side of life.

If life seems jolly rotten,
There's something you've forgotten,
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
When you're feeling in the dumps,
Don't be silly chumps.
Just purse your lips and whistle. That's the thing.
And...
Always look on the bright side of life.

Always look on the right side of life,

For life is quite absurd
And death's the final word.
You must always face the curtain with a bow.
Forget about your sin.
Give the audience a grin.
Enjoy it. It's your last chance, anyhow.
So,...
Always look on the bright side of death,

Just before you draw your terminal breath.

Life's a piece of shit,
When you look at it.
Life's a laugh and death's a joke. It's true.
You'll see it's all a show.
Keep 'em laughing as you go.
Just remember that the last laugh is on you.
And...
Always look on the bright side of life.

Always look on the right side of life.

Always look on the bright side of life!

Always look on the bright side of life!

Always look on the bright side of life!

Always look on the bright side of life!

Always look on the bright side of life!

Always look on the bright side of life!

Always look on the bright side of life!

Always look on the bright side of life!

[electricmonk]

15. I wonder

If suicide bombers and daily attacks were happening in American cities would they still say crap like this: "Evans said incidents such as another suicide car bombing on Sunday in which six Iraqis died were ``isolated acts of terrorism'' that -- however painful -- falsely masked a much-improved security situation in Iraq".

[dbt]

16. Hmmm. 'Isolated Acts Of Terrorism?'

Like the ones the Viet Cong used to drive us out of that war?

:freak:
dbt

[muriel_volestrangler]

17. Scientists discover new Panglossian field centered on Baghdad

Physicists, psychologists, historians and biblical scholars have combined in a ground-breaking collaboration to prove that there is a previously unknown fundamental force: the 'optimistic' force, which creates a Panglossian field. They suggest it is related to the exchange of newly discovered pair of quarks, called 'spin' and 'double spin' (thus breaking the previous theory of symmetry).

The field permeates the whole of the Earth, but is especially strong in Baghdad. When it interacts with those in power, it produces unbelievable amounts of cheerful bullshit, although this has no interaction with the normal populace. The CPA is currently most affected by this, although the force also seems to transmit through the reins of power to their masters in Washington and Downing Street.

Previously, the field has an extreme effect on the Iraqi Information Minister. When removed from Iraq, he reverted to normal human behaviour.

Scholars have also proved this effect was responsible for Alexander the Great thinking he ruled the world shortly before he died of typhoid fever in Babylon; the building of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in the middle of a desert, which turned out to be the shortest lived of the Seven Wonders; the Writing on the Wall for the proud Belshazzar; and the ambitious building of the Tower of Babel.