Turning Rubble into Rhetoric

[bemildred]

Interesting to compare this to Bushite (e.g. Karen Hughes, Rove) PR efforts.

HARET HREIK, Lebanon - Hezbollah has a message for everyone entering this south Beirut neighborhood: The devastation all around was "Made in USA."

Now that the fighting is over, the propaganda war has begun. Using the rubble and widespread destruction in Haret Hreik, Hezbollah's public relations department has gone into high gear to garner international sympathy and win over Lebanese domestic opinion.

In the Beirut equivalent of a Madison Avenue ad campaign, the Shia militant group has decorated mountains of rubble where dozens of buildings stood with giant red-and-white banners. Printed in English and Arabic, they bear slogans such as "Made in USA," "The New Middle Beast" and "Smart Bombs for Dumb Minds."

Hezbollah also is organizing daily tours of the destruction for visiting diplomats, Lebanese politicians, business leaders and others who want to see. This campaign is directed not so much against Israel, which caused the devastation during 34 days of intense bombing, but at the United States. It supplied Israel with weapons and provided diplomatic support for Israel to continue its offensive despite international appeals for a quick cease-fire.

Common Dreams