The Bush administration lately seems to be suggesting there are two wars in Iraq — the one it sees and the one that Americans see through a biased, pessimistic media. On Monday in Ohio, President Bush said some Americans have had “their confidence shaken” by the “violence they see each night on their television screens, and they wonder how I can remain so optimistic about the prospects of success in Iraq. They wonder what I see that they don’t.” Vice President Dick Cheney said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation”: “There’s a constant sort of perception, if you will, that’s created because what’s newsworthy is the car bomb in Baghdad. It’s not all the work that went on that day in 15 other provinces in terms of making progress towards rebuilding Iraq.”
But what of former Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi’s statement Sunday that “if this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is”? (Bush disagreed with that assessment Tuesday, while calling Allawi “a good fellow.”)
In the process of blaming the messenger, of course, the administration badly underestimates the American public’s ability to assess what’s what in Iraq. The sectarian violence speaks for itself. It’s the Bush war strategy that continues to baffle.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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98 Comments
Oh gee…
I have been saying this from the beginning.
I don’t think the media does it on purpose. It is what the media does to get viewers.
People don’t read papers or watch the news if it is not shocking and attention grabbing.
Lets face it. Reporting on the day to day rebuilding and positive things is not that “big story” or as attention grabbing as a car bomb.
Well Nathan I’d like that rebuilding reported too! I’d like to know just how much Halliburton is making doing it.
The good thing is that bush and his corporate masters do not yet control the media….only certain branches of it like Fox “news” and talk radio. The bad news is that this administration now equates “bad news” as to this war with “helping the enemy”.
Can censorship be far behind?
Censorship? Does that include paying “reporters” to write positive stories? It happened in Iraq, does it happen in the US?
This is telling my age, I still remember watching the video of the U.S. soldier lighting his cigarette with his Zippo lighter then setting the grass roof of the hut on fire with the lighter. When that video first aired on the evening news, it has been said that was the moment when the media became a part of the war. And that it threw gas on the flame that was growing in this country against the Vietnam war. All the media did was show some of what was happening in the war, they did not created it.
The same here, but there is another war going on in Iraq that is certain. Nathan is right about another way to put it “Everyone love to see a car wreck”. I do wish there was some balance to reporting, There are some good things happening in Iraq. Whether it is our people doing it or the Iraqis doing it, life does go on. But the good news is often used by Bush&Co. to justify this unjustifiable invasion and occupation.Thus tainting the good news and pitting it against the bad news in a war of news. The American people want the Iraqis to thrive as much for their good as for the Pottery barn rule.
But somethings are just harder to excuse and good news is overshadowed by the bad sometimes.This falls into the same category as “The good news: the insurance paid you five hundred thousand dollars for the death of your spouse. The bad news: your spouse was killed when a drunk driver hit them head-on”.Bush&Co. has that problem, what ever good news comes out of this invasion is still overshadowed by the bad news that if not for their side-tracking of the war on terrorism. There would be no need to highlight the good news.
Here’s another glass of Whitehouse Koolaid..drink it down.. everything is fine.. trust us.
writerdog
“The good news: the insurance paid you five hundred thousand dollars for the death of your spouse. The bad news: your spouse was killed when a drunk driver hit them head-on”.
Well written post. Thank you. Well stated.
Good points writerdog. I too am old enough to remember well the previous Texas president’s war and knew many soldiers who were over there. They assured me that the real reason that the bad news reported was so much more than the good news was that the bad news itself was so much more. In fact, according to them, the news reported over here was overly optimistic!
I hear similar things today from people over there – the bad things happening far exceed the good things.
Face it Bushies – your adventure has turned sour. All those rosy predictions were false and BushCo knew or should have known that. Even FOX is beginning to see this reality and cheerleader Bill O’Reilly is getting disillusioned.
Most excellent post, writerdog.
While Bush & co are grieving over the so-called lack of balanced reporting, they engineered a certain rescue of a young female solder, bungled an attemtp to make a marine seem like he was killed in an enemy assault, when in fact he was killed by friendly fire, and generally are trying to tie the hands of the only people over there willing to give us the truth of what’s really going on.
Why in the world should we listen to a man who doesn’t seem to have a clue as to what this nation really wants? I, for one, refuse to submit to this executive brainwashing.
I remember reading the armed forces paper in Viet Nam, and the reporting dwelled on how many VC we killed. Sure, it was written to aid morale, but balanced? Not on your life. That is what Bush seems to want from the independant American newspapers. Unless he plans on further suspending the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, he ain’t going to get it.
Hey, I have a great idea! Since the Pentagon is already paying people to write rosy articles to put in Iraqi newspapers, why don’t they try the same thing here?
Oh yeah, they already tried that. It’s called “Lying”.
Well why wouldnt bushco try to shift the blame for their bad decisions on the media? They’ve already tried to blame everyone else. How’s THAT working for them?
I thought it was called Hannity and Colmes.
We’re in this for the long haul, I pity the poor person who has to follow Bush.
Somebody define the “war on terrorism.” Is that when the Arabs pay us back for all the bombs we’ve been dropping on their families?
We’re the “terrorists.” At the behest of our Israeli “buddies.”
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0324/dailyUpdate.html
Bush should just fess up, and tell America about his Divine Revelation, and the Iraq Utopia he was shown!
Exactly what Nixon said about Vietnam. “It’s the media.” Unbelievable . . .
I hear Baghdad Bob has a new job – In BushCo’s Ministry of Truth.
Bushytail sees only what his tailwaggers want him to see happening in Iraq.
hehe guy. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain…or he’ll take you quail hunting.
JR, the initial figure given for it’s no-bid contract was $7,000,000,000,000. Halliburton has disputed that but something’s gotta be on paper (well, at least that’s how it used to work!).
BTW, Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root was a major benefactor to Lyndon Johnson and–surprise!–a top war contractor as well.
|S| I guess I should stop relentlessly bashing Bush only because I want to help the Democrats. |/S|
Whoops! Attn: Righties! A glaring error in my post above!
Bonus point if you spot it!
Too many zeros
Would like to guess that you have 3 too many zeros in your figure. Can I play if I am not a “rightie”?
RustyFord,We’ve already seen “journalists” paid off by the Bush administration:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-01-06-williams-whitehouse_x.htm
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/21459/
I wonder if Brit Hume gets a stipend?
You get A’s, guys. Glad to see somebody’s more awake than me (yawn!).
On second, Hank, A-. You didn’t say how many. But quickest response!
In Johnson’s day, it was Brown & Root. Don’t know when Kellogg jumped on board.
And speaking of (Kellogg)Brown & Root… A friend in Texas told me a story about a nuclear energy facility down there that B&R was involved in, way back when. For those of you who’ve seen Erin Brockovitch, think radiation in the ground instead of poisonous elements in the water.
Oh, man, Barbara Bush really is just a bloated bag of pure venality, isn’t she?
Check this–
Wow. This is even sleazier than it first appeared. According to Talking Points Memo, the former first lady is actually one of the investors in the very company to which she gave a “charitable contribution.” Josh asks the right questions:
So how is it exactly you get away with making a tax subsidized contribution that you stipulate must be used to purchase products from a company in which you are a partial owner?
Isn’t that a scam of some sort?
The Bush family really has no shame. The son hoodwinked America. The mother finagles charitable contribution for her own benefit. They’re just blue blooded grifters.
http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/03/barbara-bush-is...
BTW, her “charitable contribution” to her son’s company of which it now turns out she’s a major investor was supposed to be for KATRINA VICTIMS.
Sheesh . . .
Of all the events that could be reported, the drive-by MSM pukes not only spin leftie commentary poorly disguised as ‘news’, they conveniently ignore facts. What was the GDP of Iraq before the war vs. now? What was the death rate of Iraqi citizens under Sadam vs. now? How many sectarian clashes before the war vs. now? How many years has the US been in Kosovo? Hint: More than we have been in Iraq!
Facts, figures and perspectives are lost on the drive-by MSM, and they don’t like being challenged or held accountable.
Those who would like to see the U.S. knocked down from its Superpower status and free-market economic success feed off of the drive-by MSM, and the resulting collateral damage to naive readers/voters.
Maybe the new owners of WE will hold the writers to a higher standard and demand, of all things, facts, figures and perspectives.
You left out the Israeli connection. The Harvard paper didn’t and that’s what’s got AIPAC so nervous.
Halliburton, about a mile from me, just built a dead serious security fence with a guard shack around their entire facility. Electric gates and all. Expecting trouble? { their “iron fence” could stop a tank }
They are making their own “Green Zone”
HEY ID?
I listen to Rush Limbaugh as well ( sickening as that is) but thats why I know that your ENTIRE post is almost word for word straight from him.
Why don’t you save the trouble and just post links to him for us to ignore?
Oh and a question ID.
Kosovo was mission accomplished. and last I knew of 0 U.S. casualties.
Care to dispute that? Do you need to go ask Rush?
Israel has hornswoggled Bush on everything from stripping our Treasury out of billions to using him to fight their wars.
Bush is such an incredibly stupid man, they’ve actually talked him into thinking he’s building democracies in places where they’ve no interest in having anything except theocracies.
Whatever is coming next is the scary part.
Eddy,I think your support of the Palestinian people is disingenuous. Your underlying intent is definitely the destruction of the nation of Israel (and perhaps their entire race?), and you don’t care who does it, whether they be Germans or muslim extremists / jihaddists / terrorists / freedom fighters or whatever you wish to call them. You know, the guys who seem to have an affinity for blowing themselves up in major metropolitan centers where the chances of indiscriminately maiming and killing a lot of Jews are high. The burden of proof that the Israeli government had ordered the U.S. to invade Iraq and Afghanistan lies upon your shoulders, or in this case fingertips.
Your Pal,BLGFRT1
Hey guys,See, I told you Blogfart would be back on the weekend.
Kind of sad that a 22 year old guy is sitting in front of a computer on Saturday night.
LOOO-ZER
XXX,Oh so I’m a loser am I?And what pray tell should a 22 year old man be doing on THIS saturday night hm?
Actually, CrusX, Ed is fanatical, but dang if he isn’t essentially right.
Just today I heard about a report saying that AIPAC (Israel’s lobbying arm) is unduly affecting American foreign policy, i.e., invasion of Iraq and “stablizing” the Middle East.
Will try to provide a link.
The CS monitor story that Ed linked to above has its own link to a PDF of the report.
Interesting article about this in an issue of The New Yorker magazine last summmer:
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/050704fa_fact
Blogfart, it figures I’d have to tell you.
XXX,Please EMBELLISH! Humor me, my friend! What SHOULD I BE DOING ON A SATURDAY NIGHT???
p.s.don’t answer that if ya know what’s good for ya. hahaha!
Hey X should we just watch or should we push?
hahahaha is still part of his arguements.
Hey, let’s a see another Crux vs. Crux debate! Maybe the calm reasoned one will shoot the ranting lunatic. Problem is, last time neither sounded particularly stable.
Rage, One minute that stupid bastard is offering to put a bullet in my head, now the asshole says I want to exterminate Israel and all the Jews, yet what I write is the best way to keep the Jewish State from destroying itself. The Likuds make the trouble and peace-loving Jews are made to pay the price with their lives. Notice his first two words are: “I think.” With what? This clown is dumber than Bush.
Rage,Now why would I argue against myself when I’ve already got my hands full with you Lefty sons of…
nope, i’ve had a good day today so I’ll be nice for a change.
I’m thinking of changing my name to Blogfart.
Ed,Really. Who are you kidding? With your portrayal of the state of Israel as nothing but a bunch of thugs, your SILENCE concerning Palestinian terrorism is deafening!
Actually, you already have. PL didn’t join in the crowning ceremony, so it’s only natural that he would try to reason with you. That’s the first instinct here, you know.
Regrettable, as we have two intelligent “steves” (Steve and steve), that name is already taken.
Agreed Rage
PL was absent the coronation of Blogfart.
“Crusader” went looking for someone to welcome him back. He posted intelligently for almost 5 posts on 5 different threads.
He said something Proud agreed with.
Crusader I am rooting for you. You dug your hole. Now dig yourself out.
You’ve worn-out the “terrorism” bit, your type needs a new name for your victims, or better yet, stop making victims, learn to get along with people.
I said I was rooting for you Crusader X. I still am.
Now Ed is here and that is for the most part where you made your bed.
Stay still and come clean.
Agreed. Let’s just watch, JR.
Agreed rage. CrusaderX? We will listen.
hahaha!Your baiting tactic is not gonna work on me. Go watch another battle you mugs!
I know you skate the threads CruX. Here is just about your last chance to redeem yourself.
YOu did dumbass posts. Who hasn’t? Answer for it. Cause if you don’t, this is how it is gonna be for you on this forum from now on.
Still there rage and Ed?
Yep, I’m here.
I guess Crusader X is not coming back. I apologize for disrupting this thread.
Discourse is diminished when some in the debate act irresponsibly.
Oh please! Don’t be mean to me!
Is that what you were expecting JR / Rage? Screw that anti-semitic 9/11 celebrating FUCK!!! FUCK YOOOOOOUUUUUUU!!!GWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Good move, dude! So you like abuse?I think a good dominatrix could get that out of your system.
What? you guys think I’m AVOIDING you or something!? You should be so lucky!!! I have said this before and I’ll say it again motherfuckjers!!! I SAY EXACTLY WHAT’S ON MY MIND WHEN I WANNA FUCKIN SAY IT AND NONE OF YOU COMMIE BASTARDS CAN DO A FUCKING THING TO STOP ME!!!BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
I am sad to say that this settles the question as to the poster known as CrusaderX.
Rage,You just can’t handle it cuz you’re a PUSSY! You don’t have the cajones to tell somebody you fuckin don’t like that you don’t fuckin like em! And to quote Ks:”If you can’t run with the big dogs, go back to the pups!”
I think that was right.
I don’t understand you and JR, I mean, why would you wanna be PC all the time? That sucks major ass! So don’t worry about me, I can handle criticism and insults. I’ve heard possibly EVERYTHING and have been called EVERYTHING already! It’s just words man!
He seems to like it. Oh well.
The next death threat, serious or not, gets reported to both the site admin, the WPD, and, yes, Bush’s minions at the FBU.—–
“CrusaderX” Blogfart? would you care to post on open thread? It will get you heard better.
Will you join us Rage?
Just curious as to what happened to “name calling is so seventh grade.”
Possibly cuts in Medicaid.
Sure, whatever.
The next death threat, serious or not, gets reported to both the site admin, the WPD, and, yes, Bush’s minions at the FBU.
OH YOU’RE A FUCKING SNITCH!!! YEAH, I KINDA EXPECTED THAT FROM A PUSSY LIKE YOU RAGE.
HEHHEHE!!!
If your wish is to be openly maniachal Crusader x let us do it on open thread.
This makes me so sad. I do not enjoy watching you destroy yourself Crusaderx.
But if you are into it. Let’s do it. Yo owe the blog a laugh.
Still there Rage?
Yeah. What now?
Never mind. I don’t think it matters.
You will get a larger audience on open thread Crusader X. Post there. You can beat up onwhoever you like and me and Rage will listen.
Awww, you’d like that wouldn’t you? Well im not a goon! I only flame those who flame me! So you and Rage can go flame yourselves!
Of course he doesn’t want us to listen. I think CF nailed it. He seems to have a need for verbal abuse (or getting yelled at, if that’s too “PC”–hehe! :-).
I think even Ed–who is understandably thermonuclear pissed at him–was starting to figure out his game.
You know, TRACY some time back suggested just ignoring those who seek attention for the sake of attention. I’m hoping the regulars take that advice.
Yo blogfart you are on your way to being a LEGEND outside your own mind. Pursue it! I’ll help!
Sure, why not? You’d spray your keyboard yet, dude? (God, is this gay sex?).
Hey hegel? you got any more to share?
I think he might have left for real.
Maybe.
Yo, Hegel, you out there? Schopenhauer wants his blow-up doll back.
Its your spotlight Crusader X! Tomorrow you are the material for jokes for me.
Go out with a bang!
Yo blogfart you are on your way to being a LEGEND outside your own mind. Pursue it! I’ll help!
“p.s.don’t answer that if ya know what’s good for ya. hahaha!”
I guess I went to bed too early last night.
Blogfart, that sounds like a threat.
“I’m thinking of changing my name to Blogfart.”
Don’t bother, Blogfart, we already did that. You’re a little slow, aren’t you?
JR, Rage, do you get the impression maybe this guy drinks too much?
JR, XXX, Walker. So Crusader X acted like a jerk for a while. How long are you gentlemen going to act like jerks back at him?
“30 Beheaded Bodies Found; Iraqi Death Squads Blamed”
The bodies of 30 beheaded men were found on a main highway near Baquba this evening, providing more evidence that the death squads in Iraq are becoming out of control.
Interior Ministry officials said a driver discovered the bodies heaped in a pile next to a highway that links Baghdad to Baquba, a volatile city northeast of the capital that has been wracked by sectarian and insurgent violence.
Iraqi army troops were waiting tonight for American support before venturing into the insurgent-infested area to retrieve them.
“It’s too dangerous for us to go in there alone,” an Iraqi Army commander, Tassin Tawfik, said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/27/international/middleeast/26cnd-iraq.html?hp&ex=1143435600&en=11f970a707b1fe09&ei=5094&partner=homepage
———————————
Can you imagine the difficulty, the logistics problem if you will, involved in beheading 30 men? Not to mention the horror.
The insurgents had lots of time or lots of men. Either way, not good.
No, blaming the media is not a strategy. Especially when the Iraqi forces we’re supposedly training won’t lift a finger to help their own country without American infrastructure and support.
Heh! The Politically Correct Police is after me.
Actually, Outlander, I’m taking TRACY’s advice to heart. Let him rant.
Not worth my time.
Outlander,What’s it to you? So far, I get the impression you don’t care about anybody but yourself.
Hmmm….
I don’t get that impression about Outlander at all – far from it.
My impression of Outlander is that of a laid-back conservative whose life seems to be centered on his faith. Probably a good guy, in fact.
KU fan, too, I believe.
FLIKE! What are you doing?!? We only want to hear about how wonderful and hunky dory things are going….anything else is unpatriotic and only aiding our evil enemy. “You’re either with us or against us”, it’s that simple, George said so!
Thank you for the kind words flike.
XXX, sorry if you think I butted in. I just thought there was a little too much ganging up going on.
Speaking of blaming the media…
You all know the flap about the WaPo hiring this plagerizer to be their conservative blogger?
Well finally he resigned because there were so many instances of misconduct that were documented to the WaPo.
So….(sorry for the long set up)
Here is Patriot Boy’s application to be the next conservative blogger. He is THE funniest guy on the internet.
http://patriotboy.blogspot.com/2006_03_26_patriotboy_archive.html#114335641384514407
LOL.
Yeah, somehow I don’t think General JC Christian, Jesus’ General, is going to get that job…
That guy was baiting religious conservatives and doing Colbert’s schtick before Colbert even knew about Jon Stewart, I believe.
———————————-
“My advocacy for these most vulnerable of citizens doesn’t end at the keyboard. I’ve organized “NASCAR Jackets For Frozen Embryos” campaigns and lobbied the First Lady to form a Spermatazoan-American cavalry unit. Furthermore, not only did I invent a tiny firearm that Fetus-Americans can use to defend themselves from gynecologists, I’ve also asked the NRA to help me develop a “Ziggy the Zygote” program to teach them how to safely use their little pieces.”
That’s ok, Outlander. I just don’t appreciate somebody that gets that foul-mouthed on a public forum (and I don’t care for New Yorkers).
Sorry for the cheap shot, you didn’t have it coming.
and I don’t care for people who don’t care for New Yorkers.
White Power!!!
LOL
You don’t listen very well, JR. The only words in my post that remotely come from Rush is drive-by, which I doubt he originated. BUT, I do like it. Describes the media quite well, don’t you think?
Rage,
Schopenhauer wants his blow up doll back!?! You’re killin’ me man, I’ll tell you what, heh heh…
ksfarmgrrl,
Aw, you really think the WaPo WON’T hire General JC Christian, Patriot as their new conservative blogger? I’m thinking that he’s just the sort of manly right-wing wrestling man (in a heterosexual way, of course) that the WaPo could use right about now.
God, I do SO love the General.
“Immanual Kant was a real pissant, who was very rarely stable. . . “