When it comes to Iraq, is there any outlet more stupid than NPR these days?
It's a question worth asking especially in light of "Our Man In Iraq Leaves" airing on NPR today. All Things Considered explains the 'story' as:
NPR's Quil Lawrence is finishing up a year's posting as Baghdad bureau chief this week, capping off a decade covering Iraq. Few western journalists have been on the story that long. In this "exit interview," guest host Jacki Lyden steps back and focuses on the arc of events, from dictatorship to invasion, to occupation and to what now appears to be an exhausted insurgency in Iraq.
An exhuasted insurgency? Where did Quil -- or to be NPR's Frank James, Quill -- discover that? Under the sheets with Nouri?
"My, Nouri, what an exhausted insurgency you have?"
"Put your lips on it, Quil, it will come back to life."
What a kind of moron, after Friday, refers to "an exhausted insurgency"? One who's been laid and played by Nouri, but not a journalist.
Friday has been called "the bloodiest day of the year in Iraq" by several outlets. NPR?
Quil was too busy going down on Nouri to file a report on any show though he did take his puffed up lips to the microphone to mouth a few sentences during the hourly headlines.
Poor Quil, did anyone do more to help Nouri mount an offensive?
In fact, to listen to NPR's 'analysis' of the March 7th election -- which Quil helpfully provided March 8th -- Nouri won. Not just his political slate, mind you, Nouri.
Nouri won. Quil, in those early days, did not appear to grasp that voters across Iraq were not able to check off Nouri's name. He did not appear to grasp that voters in each region were selecting who would represent them in Parliament and that those elected to Parliament would be selecting the Prime Minister.
All that mattered to Quil was telling you that Nouri won.
He had a poll that said so. A poll Nouri paid for. And he had some friends in Iraq. Not in all provinces, mind you. Or even in half the provinces. Not many friends at all in fact.
So with no real polling, no real information, it tooks some big time whoring for Quil to call the election for Nouri on March 8th, but never underestimate the power of lust and greed.
And the reality? When the vote tally was finally released, Nouri hadn't won an easy victory by a clear majority. In fact, no victory. First place went to Ayad Allawi's political slate who won 91 seats in the new Parliament to Nouri's 89.
Quil Lawrence files his I'm-leaving-Iraq report less than 48 hours after bombings slammed Baghdad (Friday) and he has the gall to declare that the insurgency appears exhausted? Well, at least he's consistent. He's bad, but he's consistent. And he makes it so very easy not to miss him.