VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAM #2418/01 0951056
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 051056Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9383
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0317
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS IMMEDIATE 1224
RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUMICEA/USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA// IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS AMMAN 002418 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR, 
I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN 
USAID/ANE/MEA 
LONDON FOR TSOU 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: KMDR JO
 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ 
 
                 Editorial Commentary 
 
-- "Thousands of American mistakes" 
 
Columnist Aida Najjar writes on the op-ed page of 
center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(04/04):  "When the world superpower commits thousands 
of mistakes in Iraq, it is something very serious, 
because these mistakes have thousands of negative 
consequences, not only on Iraq and the region, but 
also on America itself and the whole world.  Frankly, 
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice admitted that her 
 
SIPDIS 
country committed thousands of tactical mistakes in 
Iraq.  Despite this serious acknowledgement, the 
diplomat was a coward not to continue to admit that 
America and Britain's invasion of Iraq in March 2003 
was a mistake and tried to justify that by saying it 
was done to oust the former regime, and then made 
things worse when she placed its country as the 
watchdog of the world and defended the American 
strategy of invasion and war as 'correct'.  This 
twisted and incomplete boldness coincides with the 
American media's escalating and firm criticism of the 
Bush administration, and there is currently a war of 
words between the Bush administration and the media. 
The administration tries to blame the media for 
presenting the negative image of the war and events 
[in Iraq], while the entire world knows that the war 
is in effect frightening, horrible, horrifying and 
inhumane events reaping thousands of innocent lives 
because of America's war.  The Bush administration had 
used its media at the beginning of the war to convey 
what is suitable and had employed more than 700 
reporters embedded with the troops, thus distorting 
the facts.  Today, the media tells about the events 
that are constructed by the war, from the human rights 
violations in Abu Ghraib prison, through the serious 
security situation, to the destruction of Iraq and its 
holy sites..  The fact that Rice acknowledged the 
thousands of mistakes committed does not spare the 
Bush administration from the war crimes and their 
effects on Iraq, the region and the world.  What the 
Secretary needs to do is admit that the reasons for 
 
SIPDIS 
the war are wrong, that creating new concepts from 
terrorism, freedom and democracy is wrong, that 
setting America as the watchdog of freedom and justice 
is wrong, and that America's defiance of the world 
with the thousands of mistakes was and continues to be 
wrong.  Trying to blame others - countries, peoples, 
individuals and the media - for mistakes committed 
will not do.  America's image will continue to be bad, 
because events conveyed by the media are genuine." 
 
-- ""Did the post-Ja'afari era start?" 
 
Columnist Mohammad Kharroub writes on the op-ed page 
of semi-official, influential Arabic daily Al-Rai 
(04/04):  "When Secretary Rice and her British partner 
Jack Straw were asked whether they consider their 
surprise visit to Baghdad meddling in Iraq's internal 
affairs and a behavior that does not constitute 
respect for democracy, their answer was truly 
horrific.  Straw, and later Rice, said: the United 
States has paid a huge price for liberating Iraq from 
the former regime.  More than two thousand American 
soldiers and more than one hundred British soldiers 
died, not to mention the billions of dollars that we 
spent and continue to spend.  This gives us the right 
to make decisions and say our opinions.  This is the 
naked truth, and there is no need to hide behind the 
illusions and the clich words and statements often 
launched by Washington and London.  The Iraqis must 
realize that the United States, as is the United 
Kingdom, is not a charitable organization and its 
president is not the Robin Hood of international 
politics.  This is rather the global American strategy 
that controls the path and fate of the empire that 
Bush and his administration are trying to establish 
before the geopolitical equations change and before 
the project of the democratization of the Middle East 
collapses." 
HALE