Diplomacy, then action

During Kiss Of The Dragon, the corrupt, high-ranking French police officer Richard states "There is a time for diplomacy and a time for action. Diplomacy is dead." That statement rang true when Australian hostage in Iraq, Douglas Wood, was rescued by Iraqi forces today. Our Prime Minister had the following to say:
Mr Speaker, I am delighted to inform the House that the Australian hostage in Iraq, Mr Douglas Wood, is safe from his captors.

Mr Wood was recovered a short while ago in Baghdad in a military operation that I'm told was conducted by Iraqi forces, in cooperation in a general way with force elements of the United States.
That sounds like a rescue, yet the pro-insurgency media decided to run reports like this one from Reuters:
Australian hostage Douglas Wood was freed by Iraqi and U.S. forces after six weeks in captivity, Australia's prime minister said on Wednesday.

But the latest in a recent series of successful operations to release foreigners kidnapped in Iraq was overshadowed by yet another suicide bomb attack on Iraqi security forces, this time at an army mess hall, in which at least 23 were killed.
A variety of news outlets claimed Wood was "released", a line which Australian Grand Mufti Sheikh al-Hilali would love to go along with:
The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils says the sheik, or Grand Mufti as he is also known, knew as early as 2am (AEST) today that Mr Wood had been released by the insurgents who kidnapped him in early May.
Sure you did. We believe you. At least al-Hilali had most of his reputation left in tact after he went to Iraq (twice), tried to negotiate the release of Wood through a variety of methods, and left when he felt he did all he could (which was a lot). But to try and take the credit of the Iraqi security forces is low.

Diplomacy was tried, but it failed. Action was taken, and it succeeded. Sounds just like the 12-year road to liberating Iraq.

(Cross-posted to The House Of Wheels.)

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