TPM Reader JD reports in directly from Baghdad on Howard Kaloogian’s website bamboozlement …
Why is this pic definitely not of Baghdad?
As you say, the script is wrong and there are Turkish letters instead of Arabic (âNOTERâ is Turkish for âNotaryâ by the way), including that telltale Turkish âÃâ on the yellow sign on the right.
My four Baghdad staffers tell me the cobblestones on the pedestrian walkway do not exist in Iraq, and anyway, they know every corner in Iraq in this simply is not here.
The blue metal and glass commercial structure at right does not reflect technology in the dilapidated Saddam-nurtured command economy — âwe never had this!,â as a staffer adds.
The buildings and taxi are much too nice (âmaybe Baghdad in 100 years!â as one of them guffaws); the garb is all wrong; and everything is much too clean for a city greatly straining to meet basic service needs.
The pedestrians are much too relaxed; especially the couple at lower left, with the woman who would be questioned/arrested for indecency being dressed like that. (âThis is impossible, to go out like that!,â as a female translator of ours relays the obvious.)
In short, they all just laughed, but wherever this is exactly they would like to make a tourism visit. So if the Congressman lets us know, theyâd appreciate it. Seemingly, the Congressman relays a photograph of Turkey â perhaps that was a stop on his ill-informed trip?
Really curious how all this plays out tomorrow.
