US 'revenge' attacks prove nothing

[DuctapeFatwa]

The US night-time attack on houses in Tikrit gave every indication of a revenge raid, rather than any planned campaign. For the first time since the end - according to US President Bush - of the major hostilities in Iraq, bombs were used against civilian targets, in combination with a heavy onslaught of artillery. All this done at night, when victims of such oppression are at their most vulnerable.

The reason for the massive firepower was because it was suspected that the rocket-propelled grenade that downed a Black Hawk helicopter recently emanated from somewhere in that vicinity. So, rather than seek out the perpetrators, which is time-consuming and costly, the American military thought it far better to randomly target anyone who lives in Tikrit, especially as it is the home town of Saddam Hussain, his family and a stronghold of supporters.

Warfare is a bloody business and militias expect to die or be injured. But innocent civilians do not expect to be in the line of fire and be the recipients of bombardments of the nature the American military demonstrated on Tikrit.

For some time now, western leaders have condemned the Middle East for attacks on innocent civilians through suicide bombings, but the methods used against the civilians of Tikrit showed very little difference in compassion.

http://www.gulfnews.com/Articles/opinion.asp?ArticleID=102515

[Jacobin]

1. Actually, I beg to differ. I think they prove a lot.

They prove how wrongheaded, stupid, incompetent, barbaric, dunderheaded and cravenly inexcusably idiotic this administration is.

It proves we learned nothing from Vietnam.

It proves that we are an aggressor nation that acts like a bull in a china shop.

It proves that Bush* needs to retire to Crawford, post haste.

[William Seger]

6. We learned nothing from Viet Nam... or Israel

[grkda]

2. Gotta call foul on that one

What evidence do you have that civilians (individuals not buildings) were targeted, or killed? It doesnt do any good to make such a charge without any objective facts. The opinion piece you cited is just that, an emotional appeal. Im sure that facts/statistics will be available sometime but that article doesnt cut it.

[Malva Zebrina]

3. who else was targeted?

. What are these bombings targeting, then? I mean really, does George Bush the Commander in Chief think he is actually bombing Saddam Hussein? the guy he said he would seek and capture--LOL and he indeed did do that no? Like he captured or killed Osama? LOL LOL LOL. LOL Bwhaahahahah What the hell is this bombing about, if not to display some sort of bully, loud noise, without much focus? Oh yeah==the focus is on killing women and children and other innocent civilians who happen to live next door to the empy buildings. Disgusting, evil man this little stupid bloviating, clown Bush.

[William Seger]

4. Here's an objective fact:

It is official policy not to even count the number of Iraqi civilians killed.

"We don’t do body counts."
-- General Tommy Franks, US Central Command

[stevebreeze]

5. I guess it['s because random bombing

worked so well in ending the itafada.