And it is completely insignificant. Just something to carp about. What a story Corporal Chin is though. A Chinese American immigrant helping liberate Iraq, that's the face of American "imperialism".

Better yet, the guy is Burmese American!

no shit says alot about OUR GREAT COUNTRY doesnt it....

Doesn't wrong to me!!!

We Came
We Conquered
We Gave Back

yeah man our country is like a mini UN. Except for the native americans we are all from different parts of the world. And even they came over on a land bridge thing. It sometimes seems that alot of arab countries think we are all still english or something.

I think Arabs will find something to bitch about... Tomorrow will be the road blocks that killed 3 overnight...

Tragic it is, here's a clue... STAY IN YOUR HOUSES AT NIGHT...

Are some people so friggin' stupid?

Did he make any mention of the other stories floating around (i.e. that his CO was at the Pentagon on 9/11 and the flag came from there, or that an Iraqi handed it to him, or what)?

It don't matter... Arabs still can't believe that the US trounced a 400,000 man army in 14 days... Reality check...

US firepower could take 2,000,000 man army... especially if they are Arabs...

USA USA USA USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seemed obvious to me that the CO intended for him to put up the US flag, wait 10 sec, then put up the Iraq flag. Perfect symbolism. He didn't climb down in between, and he had both flags with him.

Do you think there was dissappointment in editorial board rooms across the country when the name of the Marine was revealed? "Cpl CHIN? From where?! Immigrant from Burma? You mean he didn't have chewing tobacco in his mouth and a John Deere hat under his helmet? We can't catch a BREAK!"

That S.O.B. Saddam has wasted the time and the lives of hundreds of thousands of people for decades.

He should at least have his nose symbolically rubbed in his defeat at the hands of free peoples like the US and the liberated Iraqis.

I'm only sorry Cpl. Chin didn't have flags from every Coalition nation.

Head up, Cpl. Chin! You're a hero and never should you have to apologize!

MONGOLIA MACEDONIA AFGHANISTAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LETS HERE IT FOR THE COALITION PALS!!!!!

Cpl. "Eddie" Chin of Bensonhurst Brooklyn( 85th street), who when asked by larry king "why did you put the flag on saddam?", shot back a look from across the planet to Larry King via sateelite phone, that instantly said to everyone "Thats the dumbest question Ive ever heard..." Cpl. Chin, being a polite well mannered Marine instead answered " that was what my CO ordered us to do, so I did it"

Immigrant son.
Brooklynite.
Patriot.
Liberator.

I find it INSULTING that those boys can't show a flag when it's their blood that is spilling. Yes we'll give the country back. But in the meantime, we had tp go over their and clean up the mess. Will we EVER have a Mt Surabachi moment again?

Yeh man, screw the brownies. USA rules!!!!!!!!!!!! How dare be pissed off when we raise our flag in a country we own!! USA, USA, USA!!!

Much ado about nothing. Both flags, appropriately, were displayed. How thin-skinned some people are. Must be tough going through life with such uber-delicate sensibilities. Grow up already. Go Corporal Chin!

All in all, though, it would have been better PR if he hadn't put the American flag on the statue.

Tell me I'm wrong.

You are wrong Steve.

The Marines knew what it meant.

The assembled Iraqis knew what it meant.

Millions of people around the world knew what it meant.

Anybody that really didn't like it or was made uncomfortable by the act of that brave young man -

Get over it. And get over themselves

Like it or not, what the rest of the Arab world thinks matters.

What did they think of it?

The rest of the Arab world doesn't think we should be in Iraq anyway -- do you want to oblige them on that one too, Steve?

The Arab world in in the process of finding out that they seriously need to reevaluate what they think... and this is a good start.

Great moment. And don't worry about the oh-so-sensitive Arab drama queens. Iraq is going to be ok. It's going to take awhile, but that country is going to be in excellent shape in a few years.

It's a pity he didn't drape the USMC flag over Saddam's face. To give the Coalition the Whoopee feeling for a few moments. Why shouldn't the Coalition forces get the occasional morale-boosting moment after the struggle they have sustained ?

And the USMC flag might have been less inflammatory to the stupid Arab street.

But Hey - stuff the Arab street, its time they got their heads out of their asses.

I still don't understand where the Arab world gets the idea that the US are colonialists. The British and the French are the ones that screwed up the Middle East, not us. We could have had nearly all of Europe after WWII if we wanted it, along with Japan. But we didn't colonize them. In fact, we REBUILT them.

Honestly, I don't see why the controversy is shaped solely on cpl Edward Chin (the media identifies him as a "chinese immigrant") when the troops and civilians around him were cheering him on. Also, I read an article in the New York Times that wrote an article giving courtesy to an American native (Tim Mclaughlin) for providing the flag that covered the statue's face. This doesn't make sense....