PSY-OP Symbolism.

Is there any aspect of the Iraq war that holds up to scrutiny? As the LA Times reports, the famous toppling of Saddam's statue, probably the high point of the whole excursion notwithstanding Saddam's capture, apparently didn't happen as advertised either. "It was a Marine colonel -- not joyous Iraqi civilians, as was widely assumed from the TV images -- who decided to topple the statue, the Army report said. And it was a quick-thinking Army psychological operations team that made it appear to be a spontaneous Iraqi undertaking...Ultimately, a Marine recovery vehicle toppled the statue with a chain, but the effort appeared to be Iraqi-inspired because the psychological team had managed to pack the vehicle with cheering Iraqi children." Clever, clever. (Via Rational Enquirer.)