Please let it be true this time!

[SO]

Originally posted by The Brain

This action was as much for the Iraqis to know that two members of the regime were not coming back like boogeymen to get them, as it was for all the naysayers to this war who keep asking why we haven't caught or killed any of the major figures in the great war on terror.

Except I can't see any of the "naysayers" seeing these pictures and deciding that the Iraq war is somehow suddenly justified. The Iraq war and the war on terror are two completely different things, despite how much the administration tries to tie them together in the minds of the masses.

There are 2 down, and 2 left (Saddam and Osama).

This is an oversimplification. Yes, Saddam and Osama need to be taken out (preferably captured alive, if possible, but realistically that won't happen), but bin Laden's death wouldn't be the end of Al Quaeda in and of itself, and at this point Saddam's death would mean about as much as the death of his sons - nice to know another thug is dead, but won't really win over the hearts of the Iraqi's who still don't seem overly thrilled with us right now. At this point, yes, I'm sure there is fear that Saddam will somehow rise to power again, but there's also the problem of what they see as aggressive occupiers, combined with no food, no water, no medicine, etc. It's much more complex than just saying once Saddam is confirmed dead or captured, all will be right once again.

In some ways, yes it is hypocritical of the army to release the photos to the general public. But where Al-Jazeera was broadcasting American P.O.W.s as a means of propaganda, I consider this photo release to be a fact-showing.

Propaganda comes from both sides.

Remember, Al-Jazeera and the Iraqi regime routinely fed the people misinformation or outright lies concerning this conflict (yeah, and some will say the U.S. gov't and media were no better)

Exactly.

so you can understand how the Iraqi people, and the global community at large, will not just take anyone's word for it. Hussein and his sons regularly used body doubles as well-- it was absolutely necessary to display that these were, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the two sons of Hussein.

Well, I'm not saying the Iraqis should'nt have been given proper confirmation of their deaths. My problem is with the circulation by the government of the photos at home, which goes against what they had said a few short months ago. And if the government is worried about having a credibility problem, they have only themselves to blame. Their track record as of late is atrocious.