Via Command Post comes 'Blair to make personal appeal to Iraqis': "Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair will make a personal pledge to help rebuild Iraq through a leaflet to be distributed in the country... Blair's spokesperson said thousands of pamphlets, which are currently being printed, will be distributed by British troops."

J$$$$ F#$(*@$ C#$(@!, what the f#(#@ are these people thinking?

Did they get a special deal at Kinko's or something?

Let me 'splain something to you. We live in the TEEVEE age. This is no longer the 1970s. Throw away the g#$($#* mimeograph machine.

Take over the g#($#)# Iraqi TV. Broadcast to the people. Use Iraqi exiles and other Arabic speakers to get the message out. Counter the constantly beamed pictures of the most feared man in Iraq. Of all the miscalculations in this war, whether real or invented, the PR effort was definitely real and defininetly the worst. Fortunately, it's not too late to get a clue.

UPDATE: In response to the first comment, I should make it clear that I'm not against leaflets, I just think that (AFAIK) all we're doing right now is leaflets and radio. I'd suggest we throw some TV into that mix as well. And internet too, if that's possible. Certainly, some people are illiterate, some don't have power, etc. etc. However, I think we should use all available media to get our message out.

I'm not familiar with TV technology, but I'd imagine that Iraqi TVs are able to get several different VHF and UHF frequencies. If we can't replace Iraqi TV, at least we can broadcast on unused frequencies. Perhaps Gen. Abizaid could make an appearance on TV as well.