Best I can figure, Warren contends that Salam is some part of an anti-American conspiracy based on his opposition to an American invasion and continuing criticisms of some of the conduct of our occupation. Why, he must be one of Saddam's henchmen if he doesn't wholeheartedly endorse US bombing hell out of his country and tromping our big combat boots through his streets. Salam even has the temerity to question the pure altruism of the motives of our political establishment. What an ingrate!
Now, one could ask some tough questions Salam's general direction. It is reasonable to infer that he's a rich kid, at least relative to Iraqis in general. I've got no reason to suspect him personally of having done anything bad, but it might be reasonable to direct a little skepticism generally to the middle and upper classes of the old Iraq. How much of what kind of accomodating did you have to do with the Hussein regime to get by? Did you contribute to the longevity of this evil regime? I would intend these to be questions for private spiritual contemplation as everyone works to find a way forward rather than as public accusations.
Let me make a couple of points in Salam's defense, though. He was opposed to us making war on his home, but he was never any kind of defender of the Ba'ath regime, or the Hussein family. He was writing bad things about Saddam before the war that would certainly have gotten him killed if he had been discovered. From absolutely everything else we know about the Hussein regime, it seems exceedingly unlikely that he would have tolerated anyone making public comments against him as Salam did.
He reported bad things being done by the Ba'athists before they were reported by professional reporters, such as the trenches of oil being set up shortly before the start of hostilities in March.
Article comments
1 - Steve Rhodes
That is one of the more fucked up columns I've read in a while. And people complain that bloggers don't have editors. That guy had an editor and it still was printed.
2 - Al Barger
Oh Jebus. This guy's so bad, even the New York Times wouldn't hire him- not even if he were a crippled black lesbian.
3 - Deano
Unfortunately stupidity knows no national boundaries...
I've been reading Salam for a time now. He may well have Ba'athist ties (I suspect that anyone and practically everyone in Iraq has some ties with the Ba'athists - as it was with the Soviet Union, for many things it is the Party or nothing) but anyone who reads his posts can see he has no particular ties to the Ba'athists, and I've read stronger anti-Americanisms in western media (looked at the BBC lately?).
Warren's trying to find a new story slant and get some attention by trashing Salam...he's an opportunist of the worst kind...