You are being very generous giving the AP credit for half. I'd say that they reported a smidgen of the story.

Would we have heard about this at all if the family didn't have criticsm for the war and the goverment's execution of the war?

I'm not blaming the man for feeling the way he does, however I think most people will realize why we don't negotiate or pay ransoms.

I dont think the first thing the AP or any news organization should be doing is sticking a microphone in the face of someone going thru this. They are apt to say just about anything, none of which should be taken as rational thought.

How dare you criticize him? He has moral authority that you don't have!

/Jersey Girls

I don't see a big "lack of context" issue here. The one sentence that the AP used as a quote of that Uncle's "Plan" was descriptive enough to tell me that his idea was problematic at best.

He is speaking from a very personal and family-protective viewpoint, and is not concerned right now with any "big picture" thinking.

yeah, folks, real unpatriotic of AP (not to mention this guy's so-called uncle) not to take the opportunity to rejoice. I mean,the kid got the chance to give his life as payback for 9/11 and to achieve liberty and uh, whatever . . .

It wouldn't have mattered if we had offered a ransom to these people. They would have murdered these soldiers anyway. The only way others have been spared through such bribery is that they were in cahoots with the enemy anyway. I don't believe in "helping" these rock-throwing, knife wielding wastes of DNA any longer. I say it's time for a hostile takeover for sure. Scour the land of all men who are old enough to be insurgents, plant a U. S. flag, and let's call it the United States of the Middle East.

The bottom line is this. By selective editing, the AP report -distorted, not reported- the content of the interview.

Bullshit. From the AP story:

MacKenzie said the government should have offered a $100 million reward and offered to exchange mujahideen detainees for the soldiers' lives. It seized enough money from Saddam Hussein to afford it, he said.

That's pretty much what he said in the quotes you added, right? Is your problem that the AP just summarized his opinion instead of using those quotes?

Weak.

The problem stems from the media interviewing family members who are in the midst of a horrific crisis. All of us would want the US government to spend millions and even billions to free our loved ones - it's only natural.

But, check out this BIASED BBC ARTICLE - they make it appear that the uncle is blaming us for being in Iraq and the BBC never mentions the statement by the insurgents in which they said they killed the "crusader animals"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5098186.stm

Amen!! 'THANK YOU!!!' T.G.Scott! You had the balls to say what I bet so many Americans are afraid to say d/t the liberal media backlash that would likely ensue. I couldn't agree MORE! God bless all the men and women, both fallen and still fighting, for the United States. The American people owe them NOTHING but gratitude, humility, and respect for fighting so much for a country that is more concerned with biting off its nose to spite its face. Thank you T.G. Scott for your hardline-no-BS approach; that's what this country needs.

You know at $100 million, I can see market forces that could work to increase the "humanitarian conerns" and and save money. Instead of having the groups be paid a ransom for kidnapping, have them bid on not kidnapping. They have to agree not to kidnap and then they can enter the 'dutch auction'. We start with $100 million and groups can bid that or less to not kidnap someone. The lowest bid gets the money. Another auction would be held next week. I suspect the weekly auction would bottom out in the low $100s, making the 100 million last a long time.

Mantis,
The point is that the uncle said "Because the U.S. government did not have a plan in place, my nephew has paid for it with his life." and that was reported in the media. If you remember John Kerry, his only talking point was we need a "plan" to get out of the war. And the AP implies that this is the plan that the uncle was talking about. When the whole statement is read the uncle is talking about a battle plan for when hostages are takes, and I agree with him on that. Though I do not agree with releasing prisoners nor supporting terrorism with money when hostages are taken. Nor do I think a battle plan would make a difference, since the military certainly can't perform a home by home search without any specific evidence that the prisoners would be there.

We don't need to kill everyone Scott.Iraq is working out very well. This is an act of desperation that might ignite a very harsh reaction against the terrorists

Zorkos replacement seems condemmed to repeat all of the zarks mistakes.Look for a banner headline of his death soon...

The point is that the uncle said "Because the U.S. government did not have a plan in place, my nephew has paid for it with his life." and that was reported in the media.

The point is that the media reported what he said? Well, that's not Paul's point; his is quite clear. But let's check out your "point".

If you remember John Kerry, his only talking point was we need a "plan" to get out of the war. And the AP implies that this is the plan that the uncle was talking about.

Umm, no. Read the AP quote again:

"I think the U.S. government was too slow to react to this," MacKenzie said. "They should have had a plan in place."

How exactly does this imply that MacKenzie is not only not talking about the hostage/kidnapping situation, but is actually referring to Kerry's "plan"? It's actually quite clear what he's talking about, the AP doesn't imply anything about Kerry, and you should really get over the guy who did not win the election.

This should not even be reported. Not news but a grieving family member. Leave them alone we know they are in pain why make this worse. MSM is scum.

lauer actually asked a fairly tough guestion! that is the real story there! maybe he will continue with some form of objective inquiry in the future as well!

the families of the victims cannot be accountable for their remarks. yet.

Keep this mind everyone:

It's going to be a bad, bad several days and weeks to be a bad guy in and around Youssifiyah.

Time to meet your 72 virgins, assholes.

TG Scott, you sound like you've OD-ed on Chuck Norris movies.

I say it's time for a hostile takeover for sure. Scour the land of all men who are old enough to be insurgents, plant a U. S. flag, and let's call it the United States of the Middle East.

It ain't the United States of anything. And fantasies about wiping out everyone who doesn't whistle Dixie is a sign of desperation. You're 2,500 US corpses into this war and by the time Bush goes you'll be down 6,000 bodies, minimum. It will take a further 3,000 or so before you can bomb and beg your way to the negotiating table, where some Saddam-like butcher will take the wreck of Iraq off your hands.
Hug your kids - they're queuing up to be butchered. Sure, you'll kill thirty Iraqis for every US soldier, and maybe that'll make you feel good. Specially if you're sitting at home, stroking your patriotism, making threats you'll never have to personally follow through.

TG Scott:

Keep your wits about you. It seems you haven't learned anything about why we're there in the first place. It has nothing to do with planting an American flag, or purposefully killing innocent people.

While I'm a proponent of meeting force with force where applicable, pulling a Saddam on the Iraqi people by going on a bloody rampage through the country, will undo everything positive we've done and are doing...not to mention insure those two soldiers and everyone else that has died for a better Iraq will have done so in vain.

mantis if the story was about his apprearance on the Today show, it failed to give an accurate depiction of what happened.

Sorry.

Just found this on CNN, apparently some family members feel differently.

Menchaca's uncle, Mario Vasquez, said family members were distraught, and were waiting to receive the body before making any arrangements. Earlier, some family members heard of the possible discovery through the media, before being notified by the military, Vasquez said.

"I wish they'd punish the people that do these kinds of things right away, instead of taking forever and spending millions of dollars," Vasquez said. "I think, you capture them, make them pay for what they did. Don't think that it's just two more soldiers. Don't negotiate anything. They [the killers] didn't. They didn't negotiate it with my nephew. They didn't negotiate it with Tucker."

I guess we can expect a beheading video by the end of the week.

pete maguire... you're an idiot.

Seems AP also edited Tucker's phone message text for effect. Omitted from the quoted message in the article is Tucker's injunction to family to be proud of him for serving the country.

The sh*ts.

Excellent post, Paul.

Pete Maguire, your stupidity is truly a sight to behold. So you're saying that in the next two years 3,500 US troops are going to die in the war in Iraq? I obviously don't have the match skills that you have, but that would mean for the next 30 months we're going to loose an average of over 100 soldiers per month?

Since the war started, we've lost (and I say we meaning everyone but you since you're obviously some pathetic wanker from some other shithole country) over 100 troops in a month 3 times in roughly 3 plus years. But, based on your comments, I'm to believe that these numbers are going to climb to over 100 per month for the next 2.5 years?

Right.

My only hope is that they don't let you breed.

Leave it to the heartless wingnuts of Wizbang to smear a grief-stricken Uncle in his hour of grief - a man so grief-stricken that he could barely make the morning talk show rounds to slam Bush and the U.S. military, choking back tears as he demanded Bush give Al Qaida a $100 million cash advance on their next beheading.

Shame on you!

Hey, the way I feel, the "insurgents" in Iraq should have repaid in kind every bit of the torture visited up THEIR people at the hands of US troops and the hands of the American goverment !

They should have "waterboarded" them for weeks on end, sicced rabid dogs on them endlessly, forced them to stand for days in uncomfortable....even EXCRUSIATING (sp) positions.....forced them to stay awake for days on end....These guys were LUCKY that they only suffered a a beating and then a quick death by beheading !

What goes around, COMES AROUND ! Maybe NEXT time, the US goverment will take seriously the conventions it signed in Geneva !

Maybe NEXT time, the US goverment will take seriously the conventions it signed in Geneva !

All the "insurgents" are authorized by the Convention is a field tribunal and a summary execution. POWs have protections under the Convention which they do not.

Pretty sure that was satire, Mark.

No, actually.......not a whit of satire !

as for YOU, Mark my boy........

So, the "War in Iraq" wasn't ACTUALLY a "war" as such, hey ? "War" was never declared, huh ? So, if "War" was never declared, explain to me how there are 130,000 of our troops sitting in a soveriegn nation ? AHHHHHH, I see.....another one of those "play with words" that the United States is so adept at in order to evade it's CONTRACTUAL responsibilities! So, do we call this, like Vietnam.......a....ahem......"Police Action" ? Oh yes....you are correct...George Bush (who would have thunk it) invented a whole NEW term 5 years ago ! "Enemy Combatants", I believe the term was ?

Now, if there was never a "war" declared, and those people who are fighting the invasion of the US are simply "enemy Combatants".....why was George Bush (AND his father) so quick to invoke "Geneva Convention" protections when Jessica Lynch was captured ? Or his father before him, during that FIRST...ahem....."police action" and that pilot was shot down, and his picture splashed all over the media bruised & bloodied....George Sr. TOO invoked "Geneva Convention" protections in his complaint to the world media about the pilots "treatment" !

You can't have it both ways, Jerkoff......though I'm sure both you AND George W. Bush would like it to BE that way !

I see your point, kruane. As long as we're throwin out the geneva convention, I like Tim's plan...Nukes and more nukes, and muslim-maggot blood turning the persian gulf into the Red Sea... Giddy-up!!!

Moseby -

"Nukes and more nukes, and muslim-maggot blood turning the persian gulf into the Red Sea... Giddy-up!!!"

One can only HOPE ! Hopefully, N. Korea will sell these new, long-range missles world-wide.....There won't be too many more of these.....ahem.......unilateral "police actions" in the American future (Not when there are nuclear tipped missles ready to be rammed down the throat of the continental US from 40 countries or MORE ) !

AHHHHHH....FINALLY the USA gets the commuppance it so richly deserves !

Liberal Larry at June 21, 2006 12:09 AM

Leave it to the heartless wingnuts of Wizbang to smear a grief-stricken Uncle in his hour of grief [snip] Shame on you!

Once again, L.L. proving that the left places 'victims' on a pedestal that we cannot disagree with. "How dare you attack them?!?"

I call Bulls**t.

My sympathies are with the families of the 3 soldiers killed by these barbarians in an ambush, and all families of the 2500 that have been lost in Iraq. I honor their service. But this does not make any of the family members immune to criticism or disagreement when they say something stupid.

And Kruanna wins the award for the most anti American drive by moron of the year award..Hope You choke on it SFBs.