Home is Where the Humiliation Is
Fifteen Brits home, at what cost? UK Telegraph notes that the short-term gratification boosted a vile regime with which we have a lot of serious longstanding issues. “The Royal Navy has a lot to answer for.” I’d suggest that Tony Blair does as well.
The Daily Mail also feels like it needs a shower.
Guardian: Deal or diplomacy?
WSJ grasps around for a silver lining, doesn’t seem to find one.
Vali Nasr and Ray Takeyh at NYT: Sometimes its better to lie back and enjoy it!
Pinkerton at Newsday: And for his next act …
Robin Wright at WaPO: They’ll get what’s coming to them! Sooner or later! Chances are!
Blair: release achieved “without any deal.” Iran didn’t need a deal. Iran probed our line, confirmed our weakness and walked away with a propaganda coup.
New York Sun: US made a deal. If this is true and the US is willing to capitulate to Iranian bullying in order to prop up a wavering, toothless ally, while Iran is involved in the murder of Americans, then may be its time to withdraw from Iraq and join the European Union. This manuever has a figleaf on it, as we officially never held this “diplomat” or “Al Quds commander” or whatever he is. But I would not want to be an American or a British soldier fighting in Iraq, knowing that 15 swabs seized without a fight are more valuable than me. Follow-on, please.
Here’s Tony, talking tough-lite after four of his soldiers got killed. He wants to say Iran’s behind it, but we and the mullahs already know he won’t do anything about it.
“Just as we rejoice at the return of our 15 personnel, so today we also grieve and mourn for the loss of our soldiers in Basra who were killed as a result of a terrorist act,” he said.
“Now it’s far too early to say that the particular terrorist act that killed our forces was an act committed by terrorists who were backed by any elements of the Iranian regime, so I make no allegation in respect of that particular incident.
“But the general picture, as I have said before, is there are elements at least of the Iranian regime that are backing, financing, arming, terrorism in Iraq.”
Dawn over Basra.
UPDATES:
By the Beard of the Prophet, how dare these Crusader dogs cross their fingers after we forced confessions out of them? They now claim the good and benevolent treatment bestowed upon them by the Islamic Republic of Iran included being “blindfolded, bound and threatened.”
Here’s a surprise. Bush admin determines Brit-release does not suggest Iranian sea-change. So what you gonna do about it?
The Brits were spying on Iran. Good. Next time don’t let them take you.
Two of the dead Brits were women. Remember what Ahmadinejad said? Don’t send women on dangerous missions. Ahmadinejad’s your daddy, Tony. There’s a “sober and ugly reality.” What you gonna do about it?
Newspaper of surrender has concerns about Brits’ surrender.
BLOGS:
Moderate Voice: 15 hostages for one national soul. Good trade?
Captains Quarters: “The British will likely spend the next day or so celebrating the return of its Navy personnel. It will spend the next several years regretting the loss of their credibility.”
Hotair: The sailor who didn’t smile.
Welcome Powerline, LGF, Corner, Captains Quarters, etal: Stick around. We’re having Iraq flashbacks. There’s a civil war over there! Not the one you’re thinking about though. Want to know how to undercut U.S. foreign policy? Divide and conquer here!
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 8:42 am on Thursday, April 5, 2007
9 Responses to “Home is Where the Humiliation Is”
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April 5th, 2007 at 11:00 am
Clearly there WAS a swap. Fifteen British sailors for Tony Blair’s testicles. I wouldn’t give you fifteen pence for ‘em, but maybe the Iranians believe, as other primative societies do, that by, er, consuming another man’s, er, fortitude, you ingest his virility and power.
What is the motto of the British marines anyway? Simper Fi?
Bloodthirsty Liberal
http://bloodthirstyliberal.com
April 5th, 2007 at 11:15 am
That Vali Nasr and Ray Takeyh opinion piece is a piece of work. They are either the mullahs’ propaganda tools or delusional. The idea that it worked well for Britain to Kowtow (“taking the quite diplomatic track”) is silly. The Brits just humiliated themselves, proved that all of the Western warships in the Gulf area are only for show (thereby propping-up the hardliners in the regime), and caused the CIA to release a high-ranking Al-Qods officer (I would expect the Irbil-5 to be released in the next month or so - so as not to make the capitulation too obvious). All for what? To get back more quickly 15 service persons who should never have been taken in the first place (at least without some resistance) and who (except for a small number) willingly participated in the humiliation of their nation.
Then Nasr and Takeyh go on to lie though their pens to tell us that:
“Iran today sees regional stability in its interest. It abandoned the goal of exporting its revolution to its Persian Gulf neighbors at the end of 1980s and has since acted as a status-quo power.”
Stability???? - tell that to the Iraqis who are being killed in droves by Shiite and Sunni extremists who are both being supported by Iran.
“abandoned the goal of exporting its revolution” - tell that to the Lebanese who are under the thumb of the Iranian proxy Hezbollah, tell that to the Israelis who are now being attacked by a Hamas that is fully-financed by Iran, tell that to the Iraqis who can see the move of the Iranians to control their country by the most violent Shiite proxy groups in Iraq.
Iran is moving to control the Mideast and the signs are unmistakable and undeniable, except of course by Iran experts like Nasr and Takeyh.
By the way the name Takeyh, looks and sounds a lot like takiyah the term for Muslim disinformation efforts. Just saying….
April 5th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
I really, really, really hoped to log on this morning and see the headline "Hostages home, Brits and Yanks bomb the hell out of Iran." No joy, yet at least. I excerpted and linked at 2007.04.05 Iran/Brit Hostage Crisis Roundup — Brit hostages home, but at what
cost?
April 5th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Another though on th Brit’s behavior. I wonder if Blair was effectivly forced to get this over with as quickly (and humiliatingly) as possible by the behaviour of the servicepersons?
Can you imagine what could have come out of their mouths and what other displays they could have put on in collaberation with their captors had this continued for any length of time?
April 5th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
I don’t know if there was a deal or not, but I am glad the sailors are back. It could have been worse. The mad mullahs could have hanged them. If it is true that they have no fear of the United States or Britain, why didn’t they?
April 5th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Let me also suggest James Lewis’ The Almighty Euro beats the Royal Navy to your list. An exceptional and excellent appraisal.
April 5th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
[...] Crittenden has tons of links re the Brit Bendover and he’s [...]
April 5th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
What I want to know is who has possession of their uniforms? 15 genuine Brit uniforms could be put to a lot of mischief if Iran was allowed to retain them.
April 6th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
[...] derisively cites the comments of Captain Ed and Jules Crittenden for his proposition, as well as mischaracterizing those of McQ: Shorter McQ: It’s too bad [...]