Reading between the lines… and not that far between at that… of this Times Online report about the Sgrena Affair (No call for US apology: Berlusconi), it doesn’t take the proverbial rocket scientist to realize that the US is not to blame in this one. Otherwise, why would the Italian leader take such a risk in his own country?
Silvio Berlusconi has not demanded that the United States apologises for the death of an Italian agent in Iraq or called for the soldiers involved in the killing to be punished.
Addressing the Italian parliament today on a report into the death of Nicola Calipari during a hostage rescue, the prime minister said American troops bore some responsibility for the death.
The some responsibility seems to be a sop to local opinion because Berlusconi goes further.
“I want to dispel any possible confusion: there is no link between the killing of Calipari and our country’s mission in Iraq,” he said. Any withdrawal of Italy’s 3,000 troops from Iraq will be done “in consultation” with the allies.
“The withdrawal of troops will be gradual and will take place when the situation in Iraq has normalised. Calling today for everybody to go home would be irresponsible and incomprehensible.”
Not that it will matter to the propagandists like Ms. Sgrena herself, but I think we can declare this case closed.
“Rocet Scientist?”
Is that the guy with the satellite pictures that no one has seen but that CBS, in all of its credibility, claims exist? Do we even have satellites that are capable of real time TV at resolutions that would enable someone to say the car was speeding? Perhaps we do but what are the chances that the satellite would have been looking at that particular patch of dirt when the car came speeding along? Perhaps the ‘rocet’ scientist can tell us.
I think CBS put out another fake, but accurate, story.
Going on topic, it’s good to see Italy has the sense to see you don’t cave to thugs and is sticking around despite the shooting. We’re truly lucky Kerry lost the election or we may not have been so smart.
Even Google has satellite imagining now and why wouldn’t we have coverage of the environs of Baghdad. Reuters said there was coverage and the car was traveling 60 mph. Only the Los Angeles Times got it wrong by dropping pertainant parts of the wire service story to make our troops look bad as usual. The Italians paid 6 milliion dollars in ransom and made it tougher for everyone there, they were not supposed to be paying off cutthoats and traveling that fast and not stopping when told to do so.
“The United Nations is investigating whether a senior official at one of its agencies, Justin Leites,violated U.N.rules and the organizationÔøΩs spirit of international neutrality by taking a paid leave of absence last year to work as a Kerry-Edwards presidential campaign official in his home state of Maine.” http://daily.nysun.com/Repository/getmailfiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:ArticleToM The New York Sun came up with this little tidbit this morning. This isn’t supposed to be happening. The UN cannot be taking political sides but they certainly do, this is pretty flagrant. The UN is really out of control to allow something like this, the charter specifically prohibits this type of conduct.
I don’t think one can say enough good things about Silvio Berlusconi. His comments about the American Flag and what it meant to him several years ago were priceless. This guy has class, a backbone and gets the big picture dispite many Italians not agreeing with him on Iraq. He’s doing what he knows is the right thing to do. Somewhere however, their are many in Italy, the EU and here in American that don’t know their history. He knows it and remembers it all to well. Having been a country ruled by a dictator and a jackboot over your throat he is willing to make the decisions to save another country from the same fate Italy and Europe faced in the 30′s and 40′s. It may not be popular but he knows it is the right thing to do. One has to question the teaching of history in schools. One generation gets it the other doesn’t. With the Sgrena matter out of the way, at least for him, he can focus on the big picture once again. Good for him.
Given that saying anything truly positive about the US would probably get him in trouble at home, not demanding an apology is probably about the best we can hope for.
I have heard rumors that the footage may have been captured by a drone rather than a satellite. Don’t know if there is any truth to it, but I don’t find it unreasonable to assume that the US has many satellites tasked to the Iraq theater. With every news agency, most countries, and the UN looking to take chunks out of the effort, it’s not a bad idea to have as much record as possible.
Might make the next commie terrorist sympathizer think twice before trying to peddle the old “we were just admiring the flowers when those bad soldiers opened fire for no reason” story.
I wish that silly woman had stayed in Rome where she belonged.
She went to Iraq to cause trouble and she got what she wanted.
I would not be surprised if the whole kidnapping were a fake to get money for the insurgency she has shown such sympathy for.
I think they were trying to get out of Dodge without facing the Americans and ran the checkpoint and the soldiers stopped them.
Look at Iraq..who would let a car blast through a check point? Cars are deadly weapons in that country.
Being italian and living in italy i must say: yes, berlusconi was brave enough in joining usa troops in iraq and closing the sgrena case in front of the parliament without blaming usa too much.
you guys don’t even imagine how strong the pressure of liberal (post-comunist, i’d say) mainstream media is here.
so strong that probably italian government “had to choose” some kind of slicky behaviour to save mrs sgrena’s life. not telling to the american troops in badgad what kind of mission was going on exactly.
a decision was taken (i think) to pay money to get our comunist journalist free. mostly not to face public opinion in case of her death.
i think it was a terrible mistake. something you cant do when working together with allies. if you act like this, you cant blame allies when something goes wrong.
i totally agree with this smart comic
http://www.ideazione.com/blog/cox-forkum5.gif
Krilli:
I think you are right.
I am just sorry that man died. Sgrena was not worth the loss of life.
I saw a picture today of an American soldier with bowed head craddling a dying Iraqi baby who had been mortally wounded by a suicide bomber and I wondered why don’t reporters tell that child’s story. Does she not count?
If Sgrean and her commie paper wanted to help the Iraqis those are the people she should speak for, not the socalled resistance.
More than one news source said footage was taken of the car. (right?) Some are saying “no way” too good to be true, too coincindental, etc. Maybe it’s possible they mistook the information as satellite imagery. So if it’s possible it was a drone, then why shouldn’t we entertain the idea? Wasn’t it an impromptu check point to facillitate a Diplomat passing that way? (Negroponte, wasn’t it?) Wouldn’t it have been a good idea to have a drone over head in this case? No one’s saying much about it anymore. Maybe they gave Silvio a private viewing of the tape so he could save face.
Just and idea. Or do I sound like a kook?