CSM: "After her 82 days of captivity in Iraq, Jill Carroll was reunited with her family amid long hugs and joyful tears. Like any American dad, Jim Carroll had the video camera running when a dark, unmarked van pulled up. At first, the Carroll family wasn't sure if it was Jill or not. They crowded around an open window and yelled her nickname, "Zippy," waving wildly. Seconds later, she came through the door and the family met her coming down the hallway in a single family embrace."
The "TODAY Show," featured Jill's homecoming this morning.
Download -WMP Video-QT later
Charles Johnson is "happy to report that Jill Carroll has repudiated the anti-American statements she made in that video released by the Iraqi mujahideen," but what he really should have written was that he was sorry for his initial remarks. I won't hold my breath for his "fever swamp" reaction because as Matt says:
"their reaction is nothing new to so many that don't "like a woman whose survival cuts against their narrative."
Howard Kurtz responded in much the same way in his column:
"I must say, though, that I found her first interview yesterday rather odd. Carroll seemed bent on giving her captors a positive review, going on about how well they treated her, how they gave her food and let her go to the bathroom. And they never threatened to hit her. Of course, as we all saw in those chilling videos, they did threaten to kill her. And they shot her Iraqi translator to death. Why make a terrorist group who put her family and friends through a terrible three-month ordeal sound like they were running a low-budget motel chain?"
Michael Ware joined Howard on "Reliable Sources," Sunday and said:
KURTZ: Michael Ware, what do you make of the fact that Jill Carroll after this terrible ordeal, you know, has been criticized and had her motives questioned by skeptics, critics, and conspiracy theorists here at home?
WARE: I find that appalling, actually. I mean, this seems to be part of, you know, a campaign by certain political interests within the D.C. landscape -- I think that's where it's being fueled. I know one organization and at least one American network were getting sort of not background briefings, but were being fed pieces of poison by low rank and low ranked officials just to muddy the waters. I mean, I have been in the position where I've had insurgents arguing and moving me, preparing me for execution. So I can't imagine what that's like day in, day out for three months. This really needs to be seen in context, and people can't hijack it for cheap and tawdry political gain.
Digby writes:
"First I'd like to call out a big @#$ to all the bloggers and wingnut radio blowhards who assumed that since Jill Carroll isn't a screeching, GOP operative harpy like Laura Ingraham that she is sympathetic to terrorists. She had the guts to get out there and try to report from the belly of the beast and got kidnapped and terrorized while doing it.."...read on
FDL writes:
A post called the "The Education of Blitzer," and wonders why Kurtz repeated the right wing spin. She has a contest going on too....read on"
