U.S. Military Investigates Leaked Photo

[keepCAblue]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060913/ap_on_re_as/afghan_taliban_photo

The grainy black and white photo shows what NBC says are some 190 Taliban militants standing in several rows near a vehicle in an open area of land. Gunsight-like brackets were positioned over the group in the photo.

NBC quoted one Army officer who was involved with the spy mission as saying "we were so excited" that the group had been spotted and was in the sights of a U.S. drone. But the network quoted the officer, who was not identified, as saying that frustration soon set in after the officers realized they couldn't bomb the funeral under the military's rules of engagement.

************

Let me guess. Is this perhaps a bit of military P.R. to help the military justify changing their rules of engagement and that said photo was actually "leaked" by the miliary itself or one of those PNACker pentagon civilians (read: the Rumsfeld gang) in order to fuel their forthcoming arguments. We all know how very much Rummy and his gang just HATE to be hog-tied by silly ol' rules (like the Geneva Convention' rules barring torture)?

[displacedtexan]

1. I smell Karen Hughes' size 13's. (eom)

[htuttle]

2. Right -- they don't bomb funerals, only weddings...

:eyes:

[heliarc]

3. Yep...

Sending a signal to the Right that our rules of engagement are "going soft" because the army and the Administration don't have enough absolute powers to "take care" of the "terrorists." An explanation and excuse for why we aren't winning. "Give the president and the military more license to murder and you'll win the war on terror"

Sick twisted bastards. Path to 9/11 was based on getting this message out too.

[RoveRage]

4. Rove's fingerprints are all over this one too....

...yeah, it's the Pentagon, but don't think he doesn't have a hotline to Donnie.

[newyawker99]

10. Hi RoveRage!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[stepnw1f]

5. Karl Rove? Is That You? (nt)

[Dhalgren]

6. And did the article explain how you can tell from an aerial drone,

5000 feet away, who is and who is not a "Taliban"? Well, they were at the funeral of a Taliban guy, some might say. So, everyone who goes to a funeral is therefore subject to the death penalty depending on who's funeral it is? Jesus, maybe the "rules" say you can't do this because it is ineffective, counter-productive, and you know, wrong. Fuck! This doesn't support making Bush king, it does the opposite. It shows that there sure as hell do need to be rules of engagement created by rational, intelligent adults who have an attention span of more than thirty seconds!

[gratuitous]

16. Because we're morally righteous!

Don't you know that good old American-made scopes have the amazing ability to home in on a person and immediately descry at incredible distances a person's heart? That's because we're righteous Americans who are the moral avatars of the planet, crusaders in war and benevolent in peace.

I can have George W. Bush come out and explain it if you like.

:puke:

Anh. Feel so much better now. What was I saying?

[maddezmom]

7. a bit more info here: U.S. declines Taliban funeral target

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060914/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/afghan_taliban_photo_9

[grasswire]

8. I could smell this one a mile away

As soon as I saw the first report on cable today, I said "disinfo" -- or maybe it's "agitprop". These people are nuts and will try anything. No shame, no shame.

[underpants]

9. This needs more attention

:kick:

[Supersedeas]

11. odd, the US military has had no issue bombing civilian weddings

[Roy]

14. The smell of oversight is in the air......

So just in case those terrorist loving Dems take control of congress, they need to make all of their evil legal.
I agree this picture was probably leaked to justify change in ROE to allow them to bomb first and not have to answer questions later.
These guys think and plan well ahead, are focused, and fight hard and dirty. This would be one heck of good country if these idiots put all their energy into doing good for the country instead of seeking it's destruction.
Strange, very strange.

[ShortnFiery]

12. Gee, don'tcha think that bombing "Funeral Processions" like "Wedding ...

Receptions" is a tad bit GHOULISH?!? Is it worth killing all those innocents who are accompanying these "so called" Taliban Soldiers?

No, we need to drive home the fact that we are EXPECTED by the rest of The World Community to be above such morally depraved actions.

What's next, The Hospitals and Nurseries? :puke:

[VegasWolf]

13. Americans must give up all of their freedoms so that they can be Free! nt

[SpiralHawk]

15. Coommander AWOL and the republicons want to hide these photos, too

So the people of the USA will not realize how many sons and daughters have died in a far away foreign land as a result of republicon WMD lies, and republicon Massive Oil Profits.