US dismisses leaked Iraq chaos report

[sabra]

http://www.andnetwork.com/index?service=direct/0/Home/top.fullStory&sp=l55151

US dismisses leaked Iraq chaos report

The White House Wednesday dismissed a leaked military chart that shows Iraq sliding toward "chaos" as an outdated snapshot of sectarian violence at the height of Ramadan that has since dropped sharply.

The US Central Command prepared the color-coded bar chart as part of a slide presented at a classified briefing on October 18, according to the New York Times, which ran the slide on Wednesday with a story about it.
"That was a snapshot taken at the height of the Ramadan violence," said Tony Snow, the White House spokesman.

"If you got the same report last week, you would have found out the national sectarian incidents from the 21st to the 27th dropped 23 percent; casualties nationwide dropped 23 percent; incidents of sectarian violence in Baghdad dropped 23 percent; sectarian killings in Baghdad dropped 41 percent," he said.

Pentagon press secretary Eric Ruff said it was "really regrettable that slides of secret or classified materials manage to get out."

[Old and In the Way]

Yes, everyone are having Happy Meals over in Iraq now.

Lets show some newly painted schools and all the good news that our liberal MSM fail to report on.

[Jacobin]

1. Yeah. Its all better now

Don't worry.

Go vote Republican

[Robbien]

2. WH dismisses everything except what comes out of Rumsfeld's

propaganda office.

Their ploy of blaming the violence on Ramadan is just sick.

I cannot believe how much I despise these WH guys.

[Ian David]

3. October 18th? That was like a brazilian days ago!

Why, it's already November First!

[rodeodance]

4. oh yes, it is so so regretable that it leaked. te he

[angstlessk]

5. Ramadan violence? Thought it was the US elections? Am I confused?

These people have no credibility at ALL!

[Straight Shooter]

6. Tony Snow is making up those numbers as he goes along.

Either that, or he memorized the fake numbers that he was told to say.

He lies.

[gratuitous]

7. Heck, that was TWO WEEKS ago

I mean, the marigolds hadn't even blossomed yet, that's why the report was so pessimistic. You know how it is when you get up on the wrong side of the bed, you step on the cat, and the coffee maker went on the fritz overnight. Everything looks gloomy, and this report just reflects that. But today, why, everything's just so much better and nicer! It's morning in Iraq, baby! FEEL the democracy just oozing out all over.

I don't know what's more insulting: That they put out this lying crap with a straight face, or that they expect folks to believe it.

[Kagemusha]

8. Behold the stunning speed, skill and mendacity of the Rove PR machine

This is good stuff from an appreciation of evil point of view. This despite Bush's best efforts to ruin all this hard work by insisting on clear victory in Iraq happening right this minute! In spite of that, this is one hell of a straight-faced spin job to dampen what looked like a REALLY bad report on the state of affairs in Iraq, topping it off with, hey, you're divulging secret/classified materials, shame on you, non-patriot journalists.

This report was only two weeks ago. Respect your enemy's gall and rapidity. This is one thick Snow job, and it looks depressingly effective.

[ozymandius]

9. Tony Snow must think everyone but him and his bosses are pretty damned

stupid.

The violence has always been cyclical. There's a peak, then a lull as the insurgency re-arms, observes, learns and adapts. Then the chaos cycles upward again.

Only those who are as intellectually lazy and dumb as Snow's boss would believe the official drivel.

[Theduckno2]

10. Let me get this straight.

We don't comment on hypothetical future operations because we want to keep "all our options on the table".

We don't comment on current operations because that would endanger the completion of those operations.

We don't comment on past events because we are forward looking and don't want to rehash old news.

Yep, they hold press conferences just to demand apologies from Democrats!

:)

[Earth_First]

11. More of the same numbers in White House reporting...

I often grow wearily suspect of the "official" numbers when the same number occurs in repetition. As in the case with this 'reporting' the resounding 23 makes my case.

"...and just to throw some people off, we'll throw a "41" in there in rememberance of Poppy."
"Boy I love writing the news."
"Hey anychance we could get a 420 into any of this week's reporting?"

[Ilsa]

12. Pentagon press secretary Eric Ruff said it was ...

"really regrettable that slides of secret or classified materials manage to get out." (Hey, David Gregory, Dana BAsh, do I have your email addys?)

[Eugene]

13. Snowjob picked the week that includes the Eid holiday.

That lull is over and the killings are back to 40 a day.
The past week has been as bad as any.

Mr. Snow, your snapshot is out of date.

[radfringe]

14. guess this makes bush

THE DENIAL-ER

[truthisfreedom]

15. declassified materials that were just delivered to their readers.

brand-new material that is dismissed as "old news."

the tactics of this administration are THREADBARE.