Or, get on the horn and ask British intelligence
This picture, showing the site of the American strike in the village of Damadola in Pakistan’s Bajaur Agency was published by several newspapers around the world, including the New York Times. Over at Winds of Change, Donald Sensing has an interesting post on the nature of the object in the photograph (via Robi Sen). Sensing points out that it is not, as originally reported, a fragment of a missile but an artillery shell of uncertain origin. It has also been suggested that the photo itself is doctored, and that the shell is of a type used by the Pakistani army.
Those who have watched Mike Myers’ 1999 film, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, may remember this exchange when the other Dr Evil’s spacecraft is spotted on the radar screen.
That was a perfect analogy 🙂
As been discussed on Winds of Change the picture was clearly doctored. A large picture shows, the depth perception of the shell relative to the kids behind it is off. And the kids are looking right throw the shell. Nice fake – probably, courtesy of ISI – to turn the screws on any more missile threats on its friends.
I thought the image was from Getty http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/details_pop.aspx?iid=56593062&cdi=0
This is from a event in August and the photo was definitely staged. It is possible, but its hard to give the NYT’s benefit of the doubt based on past performance, that there was a simple mistake at NYT when publishing the photo.
Poor execution of a bluff. The inveterate lefties at NYT have long exhausted the benefit-of-doubt that everyone gets.