I’m not the only one to appreciate Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf
Last week I mentioned my “admiration” for Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, the former Iraqi Information Minister, who consistently offered unintentionally hilarious — if not entirely credible — analysis of how well Iraq was doing in the war.
Alas, when Hussein’s regime fled Baghdad, al-Sahhaf’s wacky media briefings came to a permanent end.
I’m pleased to report, however, that I’m not the only one who enjoyed watching Iraq’s finest spin doctor. Carpetbagger’s peripatetic friend, let’s call him Chief Osceola, brought a great website to my attention, created by some of al-Sahhaf’s American “fans” to honor his “achievements” in political communications.
The website, naturally, is We Love the Iraqi Information Minister.com.
Perhaps the best part, as Osceola mentioned to me, is the area where the site’s creators imagine what al-Sahhaf would have said were he working for some of the other great military losers of history. For example, if al-Sahhaf were working at Waterloo, he might have told reporters, “The Emperor Napoleon, God praise his name, has cut the throats of the British dogs. We are already, as I am speaking, besieging London. These are simple truths; Vive la France!”
I particularly enjoyed seeing the site’s list of “deathless quotes” actually offered by al-Sahhaf before and during the U.S. invasion. My favorites include, “God will roast their stomachs in hell at the hands of Iraqis,” “I speak better English than this villain Bush,” and the time he called the president the “insane little dwarf Bush.” The guy got paid to lie on Saddam’s behalf, but he did have a way with words.
Oh, and the one that will probably go on his tombstone, “I triple guarantee you; there are no American soldiers in Baghdad.”