Outside the Beltway

Chuck Norris Only WMD in Iraq

James Joyner · Friday, March 14, 2008 · 2 comments

Linked in the sidebar of the McCain story below was an amusing dispatch from Falluja by Mohammed Abbas entitled “Chuck Norris the only WMD in Iraq, say U.S. troops.”

Hollywood action star Chuck Norris, known for his martial arts prowess and tough-guy image, has become a cult figure among the U.S. military in Iraq and an unlikely hero for some in Iraq’s security forces.

A small cardboard shrine is dedicated to Norris at a U.S. military helicopter hub in Baghdad, and comments lauding the manliness and virility of the actor have been left on toilet walls across Iraq and even in neighboring Kuwait, soldiers say.

“The fastest way to a man’s heart is with Chuck Norris’s fist,” reads one message at the shrine, which consists of a signed photo of the actor surrounded by similar statements.

“Chuck Norris puts the laughter in manslaughter,” reads one and “Chuck Norris divides by zero,” reads another.

Known as Chuck Norris “facts”, the claims have already become an Internet phenomenon, and scores are featured on www.chucknorrisfacts.com, including “Superman wears Chuck Norris pyjamas”, and “There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Chuck Norris lives in Oklahoma”.

The actor has visited Iraq several times and was made an honorary Marine last year. Some 20 U.S. military personnel and support staff spoken to by Reuters could recite at least one Norris “fact”, despite many having not visited the Web site.

Yeah, it’s hard to fathom how a world famous karate champion and action movie star who repeatedly travels to combat zones to entertain the troops could emerge as an “unlikely hero” to military men.