No. 1 with a bullet
"As Americans flood Iraq's airwaves with radio stations playing harmless Western and Arab pop tunes, the young are turning elsewhere for their musical inspiration. They turn to artists like Sabah al Jenabi who sings: 'America has come and occupied Baghdad. The army and people have weapons and ammunition. Let's go fight and call out the name of God.' Banned from the air, such songs are proving increasingly popular in the CD and tape shops of Baghdad, Fallujah and Ramadi." — From the Glasgow Scotsman daily, January 19.
Unfairly maligned I
"Halliburton gets unfairly maligned simply because of their past association with me." — US Vice-President Dick Cheney, January 22.
Unfairly maligned II
"In Paris, a French judge has reportedly warned that Vice President Dick Cheney could be charged over allegations that his former company, Halliburton, paid $180 million in bribes to build a Nigerian gas plant." — Associated Press, January 23.
Self-criticism?
'Peace will not be achieved by ... rulers who intimidate opposition, tolerate and profit from corruption, and maintain ties to terrorist groups." — Cheney, addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 24.
Dollar democracy
"This is a world where economic might prevails. We're not run by an empire. We're run by a democracy." — Dominique Borde, a French law firm partner, praising Cheney's speech at the World Economic Forum.
Mission accomplished
"He whitewashed the government, and maybe he was right to do that..." — Sir Christopher Bland, British Telecom chairperson and former BBC chairperson, commenting January 29 on Lord Hutton's report clearing British PM Tony Blair's government of "sexing up" its pre-invasion Iraq weapons dossier with unreliable intelligence.
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From Green Left Weekly, February 4, 2004.
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