The Indiana Republican, who returned Tuesday from two days in Iraq with three other federal lawmakers, drew media attention after making the comment to The Washington Post after visiting a Baghdad market Sunday. That story was published in The Indianapolis Star.
Several news organizations reported that Pence and the other lawmakers wore bulletproof vests to the market, which was fortified with blast walls and barriers after a February truck-bomb attack that killed 137 people. The New York Times reported that they also were joined by more than 100 soldiers and had attack helicopters overhead.
Pence, one of the most outspoken backers of continued U.S. involvement in Iraq, said Tuesday he sensed only 20 to 30 American soldiers amid the thousands of Iraqis and was not aware of another occasion when visiting members of Congress were taken outside Baghdad's secure Green Zone.
"I would never have suggested that . . . a Baghdad market is as safe as the Bargersville (Ind.) flea market," Pence told reporters in a Tuesday call. "I just meant that that's what it looked and felt like: There were lots of people, there were booths. . . . For all the world, it felt very familiar to me."
I keep hearing supporters of the war effort claiming the media is misreporting the true events in Iraq, but the number of deaths and casualties is undisputable. I sometimes think supporters like Rep. Pence only see what they want to see on these highly controlled visits to the region.
6 comments:
Mike Pence is no dummy and knows exactly what the deal is with the staged photo-ops. He is fully aware that he's not truly out there doing casual shopping with average Iraqis.
He's hoping that his constituents believe the controlled news-stories. Hoosiers are tired of the endless nation-building of the Republicans. We are tired of the deaths of our troops. We are tired of the $2 billion per week squandered in the lands of the Tigris and Euphrates.
Mike Pence has to present fairy tales to suppress Hoosiers reasonable concerns. But facts are stubborn things and have a liberal bias, it seems!
Salon has a great story about Pence's failed history of prognostication.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/
I'm amazed that Wilson knows so much about Pence's trip. Were you there Wilson? Have you been to Iraq? "Fairy tales" are what the News Agencies are reporting and what you are repeating in your postings.
I would recommend that you talk to the servicemen returning. They can truly testify as to what is happening over there.
One truth that we know is, Pence supported the troops in every vote. Carson on the other hand has stated that she supports the troops but not the war, impossible. Refusing to fund supplies including body armor to prove a political point isn't support, it‘s treason.
Anonymous, It's not treason to try stop a President from destroying our country.
This President and administration with their (I'll be charitable here) distortion of the facts got us into this preemptive war. They were also asleep at switch in the summer of 2001, but that is another matter.
In any case I blame Bush 43 (not 41) for squandering our unity, alienating our allies, and destroying our credibility by going into Iraq. True the media and most of congress went right along with him, but still it was his and Cheney's propoganda that fooled them.
Now there are no good solutions out for us or the Iraqi people.
At least Julia Carson was one of the strong and honorable politicians that were not fooled.
She is the true patriot and should be praised not derided.
"At least Julia Carson was one of the strong and honorable politicians that were not fooled.
She is the true patriot and should be praised not derided."
Scott your comments about Bush are arguable but when it comes to Carson you are plain wrong.
How can you say that you support the servicemen in the armed forces and then allow them to go into battle with out proper funding?
Carson is putting our servicemen in harms way by not protecting then with proper equipment, therefore she is a traitor.
"Honorable"? Benedict Arnold had more honor than Carson. "Patriot"? You've got to be kidding.
Congresslady Julia Carson has often been criticized by war critics for always voting to fund the troops fully. It is precisely Bush that is threatening to veto the funding bill, thus endangering the troops. Doesn't he believe in supporting the troops? A veto cuts off funding!
Lets remember who sent our troops into war without body armor, armored vehicles, adequate health care funding for injured troops, etc. in the first place...George Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.
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