There's a discussion on this e-mail list about the fact that CNN has been showing clips of reporters giving standing ovations at press conferences (which shouldn't happen given the objectivity to which they should aspire), hence the comment from a reporter in Iraq.

Steph,

Aha! Well, this morning (EST) I watched the Bremmer "news conference" on the BBC, and yes, there was a burst of cheering and applause when he made the announcement and showed the picture.

The reporters I saw appeared (the camera didn’t give a very good angle) to be Arabs, and they seemed to be speaking in Arabic. If they were Iraqis, I can understand a certain exuberance on their part. It may be that that their objectivity in re Mr. Hussein has been compromised by their treatment at his hands.

I’m sure they will get their emotions under control soon.

Hopefully Iraqi Barrels.
It is their oil

Vigil,

It is also curious that Mr. Hussein was captured just AFTER the Iraqi "Crimes Against Humanity" tribunal was formed. Interesting how it saves them from trying him "in absentia", and how also it saves Uncle Sam the trouble of dealing with him.

and the ruler of Pakistan just "evaded" an assasination attempt?

Watch this space for Osama!

Vigil,

I finally got around to following the link, and to the extent that my sojourn in Saudi Arabia 17 years ago is still relevant, the viewpoints it expresses seem representative of ME Arab sentiments. It has been, and continues to be, difficult to bridge the perspectives commonly held in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the States with those in the Arab ME. Finding the common ground on which to build a peace there is a very long-term project.

While "the West" stayed the containment course for the 45 years or so that it took for the Soviet Empire to implode, I’m not at all convinced that the current international political conditions will accommodate a strategy of similar duration today.

That was our discussion as well on the journalism list. If Iraqi journalists want to cheer, freedom of the press is being celebrated. People were wondering if FOX reporters were there.