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B Ann Gilmore (not verified) says:

The use of "obliterate" was almost unbelievable. Is she going for Cheney's job? There's nothing useful or brave about use of this word. On July 3, 1998, the US "obliterated" an Iranian civilian airbus on a scheduled routine run, and we watched Iranians fish the bodies of 290 men, women and children out of the water with poles and nets. Called a "mistake," the Vincennes commander that gave the order was eventually given an award. The commander of the USS Sides, also in the region at the time, said he had been cowboying it in the region for weeks, had moved into territory where it was illegal for him to be, had sent out a helicopter to raz some boats, and had even fired on one. The USS Sides commander also considered it impossible to mistake the plane for a tomcat. Why should Iranians believe this was anything but deliberate?

They shouldn't. The US deliberately obliterated that plane and all lives on board: men, women and children.

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