Don't Blame The Press For Iraq
For all the Republicans' talk about "personal responsibility," they sure don't like to accept responsibility for the Iraq War fiasco. Conservatives have begun to blame the press for being too negative in its coverage of Iraq, as if the media itself was creating the insurgency and strife in Iraq. For example, today it was reported that 30 decapitated bodies were found in the Iraqi village of Tarfiya. Yes, that is a negative thing to mention. Pretty darn unpleasant. If 30 decapitated corpses were found in my hometown, I wager that would be the top story, not the opening of a water treatment plant or an ice cream store.
Does that mean The Washington Post should not be reporting Iraqi mayhem because it weakens America's resolve? Some conservatives seem to think so. They say that the media isn't acknowledging all the positive signs of progress in Iraq. Actually that isn't true. Any regular television news viewer can see positive stories about Iraqi citizens that like America and are striving for a democratic state. However, the daily parade of violent acts drowns out any positive spin one wants to put on the situation. What would these conservative critics want the U.S. media to do? NOT to report the daily car bombings, kidnappings, and assassinations? I'm sure George W. would love that, but the truth of the situation is too grim to be ignored.
The vast majority of Americans think the war was a mistake because of the grinding incessant violence. Don't blame the messenger, blame the president and his administration for invading Iraq in the first place. The United States has made Iraq a worse place to live today than it was under Saddam Hussein (quite an accomplishment).
When the United States was losing literally hundreds of soldiers a week in Vietnam, the press had upbeat stories then too, showing little South Vietnamese kids being innoculated for polio, and American Army engineers building dams for appreciative villagers. Sure, some positive things were done in Vietnam, but not enough to justify the 58,000 American fatalities. Walter Cronkite wasn't to blame for the biggest mistake in American military history, Lyndon Johnson was. Just like in Vietnam, the president has guided us into another quagmire, with the complicity of a spineless Congress. Don't blame the media for this mess. Now if we can only get them to spend less time on missing white women...
Does that mean The Washington Post should not be reporting Iraqi mayhem because it weakens America's resolve? Some conservatives seem to think so. They say that the media isn't acknowledging all the positive signs of progress in Iraq. Actually that isn't true. Any regular television news viewer can see positive stories about Iraqi citizens that like America and are striving for a democratic state. However, the daily parade of violent acts drowns out any positive spin one wants to put on the situation. What would these conservative critics want the U.S. media to do? NOT to report the daily car bombings, kidnappings, and assassinations? I'm sure George W. would love that, but the truth of the situation is too grim to be ignored.
The vast majority of Americans think the war was a mistake because of the grinding incessant violence. Don't blame the messenger, blame the president and his administration for invading Iraq in the first place. The United States has made Iraq a worse place to live today than it was under Saddam Hussein (quite an accomplishment).
When the United States was losing literally hundreds of soldiers a week in Vietnam, the press had upbeat stories then too, showing little South Vietnamese kids being innoculated for polio, and American Army engineers building dams for appreciative villagers. Sure, some positive things were done in Vietnam, but not enough to justify the 58,000 American fatalities. Walter Cronkite wasn't to blame for the biggest mistake in American military history, Lyndon Johnson was. Just like in Vietnam, the president has guided us into another quagmire, with the complicity of a spineless Congress. Don't blame the media for this mess. Now if we can only get them to spend less time on missing white women...
posted by David Bowden at 4:14 PM
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