The Christian Science Monitor reports that the effect of the photos was somewhat blunted because Arabs 'say they expect no less from the United States given the widely held view that it is running a brutal and oppressive occupation in Iraq.'
'Will the pictures make a difference in the Arab world? Probably not,' says Michael Young, a Lebanese political analyst. 'It simply confirms what people already think about the Americans. But it will be embarrassing for the Americans in Iraq, and that's where it's going to count.'
Maybe this was Bush's strategy ... Our reputation is so low it cannot fall further.
I wonder if this might episode might, paradoxically, ease tensions in in Iraq. It's immensely annoying to have a "superior" civilization constantly blathering about their innate goodness, discipline, and all around wonderfulness. I suspect Bremer can't get away with that act any longer; nor can any other American representative in Iraq. Iraqis have had a dark and shameful recent past, but now they know that that their occupiers are flawed as well. Time for a real discussion?
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