The Stupid Sgrena Communist Conspiracy Theory

If the U.S. wanted Sgrena - the terrorist-loving Italian Communist journalist - dead, why is she still alive? I don't think it takes much brain power to realize everyone in the car could be dead and there would be no Communist journalist to peddle the usual anti-American propaganda. No witnesses but U.S. troops, dead journalist, case closed. I'm certain our troops didn't run out of bullets or lack the firepower to kill a civilian woman in a normal car if that was their intent.

The Arab News, as usual, substitutes storytelling for logic.

There is, however, the more sinister explanation which is that the Americans wanted Sgrena dead. A senior correspondent for the Communist daily, Il Manifesto in Rome, the journalist has been no friend of the US invasion and occupation. US troops have killed journalists before. Two cameramen, a Ukrainian and a Spaniard, were slain in April 2003 when a US shell was fired into the Palestine Hotel, a known base of international journalists opposite the Baghdad Sheraton. Earlier an Al-Jazeera correspondent was killed when the TV station’s local office was struck by a US missile.

We can take down Saddam's regime in two weeks, overthrow the Taliban with special forces, air power, and local tribesmen, but we can't kill a middle-aged Communist journalist riding in a civilian car at a checkpoint?

Puh-leeze.

Secondly, if the U.S. wanted to kill her it would be child's play to hire some Iraqis to hijack the car and kill her. Deniability, remember that word. If anyone ever tries to cook up a massive conspiracy theory, don't forget that's the first consideration of every professional conspiracy chef and spook worldwide. If the U.S. had decided to kill her, several hired Iraqi gunmen could have driven up, riddled the car with bullets and driven off after making sure she was dead. Perhaps they'd stop to rob the vehicle to make it look like an ordinary hijacking for money.

I understand anti-Americanism is reflexive, not unlike blinking when something comes at your eye, but this conspiracy theory makes less sense than alien crop circles.

A more plausible theory is that this was a hoax kidnapping designed to get money in the hands of the terrorists through ransom. We've seen Japanese Leftists attempt it, the Phillipines pay off terrorists, and Frenchmen become valuable terrorist mouthpieces and a funding source using similar strategies. Running the checkpoint just shows their commitment to a cause, blame America first.

UPDATE:The Hard Left-Islam Connection in full flower. You thought the other Arab News article was over the top?