About "Operation Swarmer"

[cantstandbush]

Has anyone seen from the clips just who we are "swarming?" It looked like our troops landed in a desert with no one there. WTF is going on? We should feel good because the Iraqi forces are in the forefront of this operation? How are they in the forefront? US helicopters, US soldiers, and no opposing forces. No doubt this cost an asshole full of money to move in and capture sand and some old weapons (probably stored there since Desert Storm). Notice the last sentence. There was no resistance because there was nobody there.

"BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. and Iraqi troops pressed their sweep through a 100-square-mile area on Friday in a bid to break up a center of insurgent resistance, the U.S. military said. No resistance or casualties were reported"

[yourout]

1. Nothing more than an over reported field exercise.

[chicofaraby]

2. I've been reading weird things about Operation Smarmy...

Apparantly it was a plastic turkey.

I read that Time is busting the Pentagon for false advertising about this "massive" campaign.

I'm still looking around.....

[havocmom]

6. see my post (reply 5) for link to Time story on this

FARCE

[chicofaraby]

11. Hmm. Here is what AP said on the 16th

U.S., Iraq Launch Massive Air Assault

In a well-publicized show of force, U.S. and Iraqi forces swept into the countryside north of the capital in 50 helicopters Thursday looking for insurgents in what the American military called its "largest air assault" in nearly three years.

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Does anyone believe the press in country anymore?

[napi21]

3. I named it Operation Smarmey yesterday, and it looks like I was

RIGHT! Anything to try to save Shrub's a**!!!!!

[cantstandbush]

4. Bush's low poll numbers are making everyone freak out, including

our military leaders. We probably could have bought Saddam off with a trip to Disneyland.

[The_Casual_Observer]

8. Could have paid Dan Rather to get him in a headlock

or chickenwing while he was over there interviewing him. What would that have cost? Dinner and drinks at the 21 Club? Even less than two tickets to Disneyland.

[havocmom]

5. All they got was some footage to use in recruitment ads

would be my guess. Lots of noise and resources to get 48 suspects, 17 of whom have been cleared. Yeah, THAT was useful! Join the Army and make commercials to get more kids to Join the Army!

Here's a link to Time story on it:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1174448,00.html

Four Black Hawk helicopters landed in a wheat field and dropped off a television crew, three photographers, three print reporters and three Iraqi government officials right into the middle of Operation Swarmer. Iraqi soldiers in newly painted humvees, green and red Iraqi flags stenciled on the tailgates, had just finished searching the farm populated by a half-dozen skinny cows and a woman kneading freshly risen dough and slapping it to the walls of a mud oven.

The press, flown in from Baghdad to this agricultural gridiron northeast of Samarra, huddled around the Iraqi officials and U.S. Army commanders who explained that the "largest air assault since 2003" in Iraq using over 50 helicopters to put 1500 Iraqi and U.S. troops on the ground had netted 48 suspected insurgents, 17 of which had already been cleared and released. The area, explained the officials, has long been suspected of being used as a base for insurgents operating in and around Samarra, the city north of Baghdad where the bombing of a sacred shrine recently sparked a wave of sectarian violence.

[Marie26]

7. Solly Mack posted a really good thread on this

There's a pretty good case that it was just a military exercise.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x689663

[bluestateguy]

9. Operation Swarmer?

The swarm is about to attack:

[KharmaTrain]

10. Reminds Me Of A Bad Vietnam Era Stunt

Seeing the helicopters in formation brought back the flashbacks of the evening news reports in the 60's that would show airborne paratroopers and how this was the way we were "winning the war". The rhetoric was the same then as now...and the results appear to be as well...or lack of them.

They're trying to portray Iraqis as taking a leading role in this charade...getting them lots of camera time...but you can just see they'd stick the knife in the second you turn your back. Yep, real allies they are. But then if our country was invaded as ruthlessly, how could you cooperate with an occupier?

[Drum]

12. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Propaganda

didn't really scrutinize their playbook copy of "Wag The Dog." They didn't notice that they're supposed to use the green-screen and add in the dangerous stuff in post-production for te full shock-n-awe.

Operation Potemkin '06 just looked like a trip out to the countryside...a few days out at the Fresh Air Farm. It looks like it was filmed in the US.