Friday, July 20, 2012

Oh, those Baghdad Bobs

When the Iraq War started, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf became better known to some as "Baghdad Bob."  At that time he was the official spokesperson for Iraq in his role as the country's Minister of Information.  In March and early April 2003, he gave press conferences and, in fairness, his were as absurd and fact-free as what was coming out of CentCom and the Pentagon with Vinnie Brooks and Torie Clarke (and unlike Clarke, al-Sahhaf never wore bad 80s workout attire to a press briefing).  His spirit lives on at We Love The Iraqi Information Minister and at About.com's Political Humor where they've collected many of al-Sahhaf's more absurd declarations.

But most of all, his spirit lives on in the government of Nouri al-Maliki where there is always what happened versus what the official statement says happened.

From yesterday's snapshot:


AP reports Iraqi Brigadier General Qassim al-Dulaimi says the resistance or 'resistance' killed 20 Syrian border guards today "and their commander." Adrian Blomfield, Alex Spillius and Ruth Sherlock (Telegraph of London) note, "Syria's rebels claimed to have seized a series of key border checkpoints with Turkey and an entire swathe of the country's frontier with Iraq."  al-Dulaimi tells AP that the 'rebels' have taken control over the crossing into Iraq's Qaim.  John Glaser (Antiwar.com) states, "Syrian rebels have taken control of all the border crossings and military outposts between Iraq and Syria, according to senior Iraqi officials." 


In addition, Neil MacFarquhar and Tim Arango's front page story on this morning's New York Times asserts, "Rebel fighters in Syria, building on the momentum gained by their brazen assassination of three top security officials a day earlier, seized all four border crossings with Iraq and one into Turkey on Thursday . . ."  And yet today, AP reports that Nouri's official spokesperson Ali al-Dabbagh "refuted" this claim.

Now that could be.

And this could be one of the rare times Ali al-Dabbagh is actually telling the truth.

After all, Alsumaria is reporting that the Syrian army is back in control of the border crossings between Syria and Iraq and Syria and Turkey.  But, again, when you have Ali al-Dabbagh's reputation, it is so hard for anyone to believe you.  (Just last week, Ali al-Dabbagh was falsely insisting that the UN was siding with Nouri against Camp Ashraf residents.  Nope.  They're not going to take sides but Ali lied and outlets like Press TV ran with it non-stop.  Currently, the official lie is that the White House is on Nouri's side against ExxonMobil.  Really?  With the Citizens United decision, the White House is going to go up against ExxonMobil?  With no fears that the multi-national corporation will immediately flood the airwaves with political ads to unseat Barack?)

And for those who argue that Ali al-Dabbagh and other 'Baghdad Bobs' exist because the Iraqi people allow themselves to be lied to, that's true of all nations.  In the United States, look no further than Jay Carney who was never a major journalist but who has still managed to bring shame on his family and to his past profession with his ridiculous lies and whoring as White House spokesperson.

The Iraqis endure Baghdad Bobs the same way every country endures them.


The following community sites -- plus Pacifica Evening News, Cindy Sheehan, World Can't Wait, Susan's On The Edge, Antiwar.com and NYT's At War -- updated last night:



In the United States, Senator Patty Murray is the Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.  Her office issued the following yesterday:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 19, 2012
CONTACT: Murray Press Office
(202) 224-2834
 
 
 
VETERANS: Murray, Burr Call on GAO to Review VA's Benefits Accreditation Program
 
Recent findings raise serious questions about effectiveness of accreditation process in ensuring proper conduct by individuals assisting veterans with benefit claims

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, joined with the Committee's Ranking Member, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), in sending a letter to the Comptroller General Gene Dodaro requesting assistance from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in examining the Department of Veterans Affairs' accreditation program. The request stems from issues identified during GAO's recently completed investigation into VA's pension program, which revealed that individuals and companies are using VA accreditation as a way to take advantage of elderly veterans and their families.
 
"The Government Accountability Office's recent investigation of VA's pension program, conducted at our request, raised some significant concerns regarding VA's accreditation program," the Senators wrote in the letter to GAO. "GAO's final report, Veterans' Pension Benefits, highlighted the fact that some VA accredited individuals may be taking advantage of VA benefits claimants, such as by charging illegal or exorbitant fees, engaging in deceptive marketing practices, or selling unsuitable financial products or services."
 
The full text of the letters follows:
 
The Honorable Gene L. Dodaro
Comptroller General
U.S. Government Accountability Office
441 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20548-0001
 
Dear Mr. Dodaro:
The Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Office of the General Counsel provides accreditation to attorneys, claims agents, and representatives of veterans service organizations so they can assist VA benefits claimants with the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of VA claims. To become accredited, an individual must demonstrate a level of proficiency in VA's policies and procedures to be able to provide assistance with VA claims.  Also, restrictions exist regarding fees that can be charged by accredited individuals for services associated with VA benefit claims.
 The Government Accountability Office's (GAO) recent investigation of VA's pension program, conducted at our request, raised some significant concerns regarding VA's accreditation program.  GAO's final report, Veterans' Pension Benefits, highlighted the fact that some VA accredited individuals may be taking advantage of VA benefits claimants, such as by charging illegal or exorbitant fees, engaging in deceptive marketing practices, or selling unsuitable financial products or services.
In light of these concerns, we request the assistance of the GAO in examining the following questions:  (1) What are VA's policies and procedures for accrediting and providing oversight, including data collection and analysis, of those individuals?  (2) Are there potential vulnerabilities in VA's existing policies and procedures which may allow abuses of the accreditation system?  (3) What is the process for suspending or revoking accreditation if abuses are found to have occurred?
We appreciate your attention to this request. 
###
Kathryn Robertson
Specialty Media Coordinator
Office of U.S. Senator Patty Murray
448 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington D.C. 20510
202-224-2834
 


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