An Iraqi Story Not Well Publicized

Days, even hours after the fall of Baghdad we were barraged with images and stories of looting. Then came the MSM’s tirade against the Bush Administration of not protecting the artifacts from the Iraqi National Museum. It appears that Archaeologist and museum director Donny George has changed his tune from the original blame game he had following the liberation of Iraq.

Mr. George — like many Iraqis and much of the American press — blamed U.S. military planners at the time for ignoring the history and culture of the country they had come to liberate.
But the museum director was much more conciliatory at the National Arts Club, where he told a well-heeled audience that he was “satisfied” with the level of financial and technical support to rebuild the shattered museum.
Asked whether the Pentagon had offered an apology for failing to guard the museum, Mr. George said U.S. assistance allowed his staff to rebuild the museum’s offices and galleries, install new security systems and create computer networks where there had been none.
“I will take that as an apology,” he said.

For all the reported stories and images from the MSM during the looting where are the ones discussing the efforts made to find and return the museum artifacts?

Roughly half of the 15,000 items looted from the National Museum of Iraq in 2003 have been recovered, said its director, who thanked American officials for assistance in restoring the building.
Archaeologist and museum director Donny George said law-enforcement and customs officials in the United States had intercepted at least 1,000 artifacts stolen from the museum in the chaotic days after the fall of Baghdad.
Another 3,000 or so artifacts have been found and secured in Jordan, Syria, Italy and other nations, said the museum director, an Iraqi-born Christian.

In true MSM fashion is the fact that not only were soldier and contractors found taking some items as souvenirs; the media was responsible as well. Report on a story of missing historic artifacts while also taking them as well. Is this a case of the MSM being hypocritical or creating the news story? They do both so often one loses track.

U.S. troops, journalists and contractors returning from Iraq are among those who have been caught with forbidden souvenirs — mostly paintings and small seals and cylinders that can be carved exquisitely and hidden easily.

Donny George further went on to say that the museum theft was done by “insiders” which in my estimation would have made it impossible to have ever prevented the theft from occurring. The items were gone before we ever got there.

Mr. George said much of the thievery was done by insiders, but told The Washington Times this week that Iraqi and museum authorities have made little effort to find the culprits.