Saturday, October 15, 2005

Soldier Propagandist

Soldier Propagandist
Intrepid MediaCitizen reader "lebkuchen" Googled some of the soldiers who were being used by the Pentagon as stooges on Thursday and found another GI who didn't quite pass the smell test.

I've dug further into the history of First Lieutenant Gregg Murphy of the 278th Regimental Combat Team and found that there's more to Murphy than meets the lens. His pro-Bush rhetoric is sprinkled throughout the media in articles dating back a year.

This begs the question: how could one soldier get so much face time?

Was Murphy like other soldiers, giving Americans a "sincere" assesment from the field -- as Scott McClellan claimed at his White House press briefing Thursday? Or could he be part of a larger scheme -- involving already outed Seargent-cum-shill Corine Lombardo -- to covertly stack the media deck with pro-war, pro-Bush voices?

Let's review the evidence.

For his part in Thursday's PR charade, Lt. Murphy told the president:
Sir, we are prepared to do whatever it takes to make this thing a success... Back in January, when we were preparing for that election, we had to lead the way. We set up the coordination, we made the plan. We're really happy to see, during the preparation for this one, sir, they're doing everything.
Publicity officer Corine Lombardo -- who helped choreograph Thursday's show -- likely knew from earlier articles that Murphy would praise Bush's war effort. In a June article in the Chattanooga Times-Free Press, Murphy rushed to Bush's defense:
"President Bush is absolutely right in staying the course here," said Lt. Gregg Murphy, of Chattanooga, in an e-mail. "Who is going to preserve human rights and protect the huge investment for peace that we have already made if not the U.S. military?"
Murphy waves the flag in several other Times-Free Press stories. Most come from the pen of Edward Lee Pitts, the journalist who last December prompted a soldier to ask Defense Secretary Rumsfeld about the lack of armor for U.S. military vehicles in Iraq -- an exchange that became a global embarrassment for the administration.

Here's Murphy in action in a 2004 Lee Pitts story:
Recruiters said their biggest promotional tools are combat veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, who are helping bolster the ranks by tapping into the South's tradition of patriotism.

Lt. Gregg Murphy, of Chattanooga, is one of about 4,000 soldiers with the 278th Regimental Combat Team now in Iraq. He said in an e-mail that he would jump at the chance to "set the record straight about Iraq" by telling "the real story of soldiers, not the blood, guts and carnage."

He said returning soldiers could counter the media's focus on the losses in Iraq by talking about ongoing humanitarian work there such as new schools, libraries and water projects."
After the Bush-op, Lt. Murphy told Channel 3 in Burlington that "it was real honor to talk to the man. It's been a great day." Murphy added that he had no idea why he was selected to speak with the President. I suspect the Lieutenant wasn't being entirely honest on that score. His next statement to the newscast gives some indication:
Working closely with the Iraqi army has been the most rewarding experience of my life. I've worked hand in hand with these guys daily, both at the platoon and company level. These guys they are prepared, they're already operating independently, they're doing their own thing.
Publicity officer Lombardo couldn't have written a better script. To her dismay, though, all soldiers aren't parroting Murphy's line for the media. [10-19: Murphy writes to explain] There's more dissent in the rank and file than Bush's team would like to be known.

Lebkuchen also found a series of letters published in the soldiers' newspaper "Stars and Stripes," which paint a more accurate picture -- not so much of an “Army of One” but a military that is deeply divided over this war. Here's an example from Army Maj. William E. Bailey:
The longer we stay, the harder it will be to leave because of the resources wasted on this sad desert land. The longer we stay, the more hated we will become. It is time for us to go.
There's much more at DemocraticUnderground. Lebkuchen writes that "these are the views Bush's handlers want to keep suppressed and why they must carefully screen and prep their military 'props.'"

To learn more about the war from honest soldiers, visit Paul Rieckhoff’s organization, Operation Truth. Paul -- who served for ten months in Iraq as an Infantry Platoon Leader in the 3rd Infantry and 1st Armored Divisions -- tells me that Operation Truth works on behalf of ordinary enlisted soldiers to amplify their voice in our nation’s decisions regarding the military. His Website is an outlet for many who see their efforts and concerns being misrepresented by mainstream media. About Thursday's media charade, Rieckhoff writes:
This thing was not just staged, it was superstaged. In a disgusting display, the President again used our troops as political props in an event so scripted that it basically turned into a conversation with himself. I wish the White House had put this much effort into post-war planning when my platoon hit Baghdad.
Operation Truth presents a more gritty view of Iraq regularly overlooked by the nightly news -- and feared by Bush’s propagandists. And for that, I don’t think we’ll be seeing Rieckhoff in any future photo-ops with the president.

10-18 Update:
Pentagon propagandist-in-chief Allison Barber pulls plug on liberal radio.

10-19 Update:
Lt Murphy responds to MediaCitizen

10-20 Update:
The Daily Show: Comedy trumps Bush's reality

51 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is good that these things are being uncovered.

The problem lies not so much with Bushco using flacks, scripts, and pro-Bush soldiers in their propaganda. I doubt whether any President would go on national television and slog it out with soldiers that criticize him and his policies.

The problem lies in Bushco continuing to lie, and portraying events like this 'impromptu chat' as an unscripted and impartial event.

Holy moly, are they too thick to learn that they are getting caught at their lies? Exactly how low do they want their credibility to descend? Or is this behavior so ingrained and compulsive for the Bush administration that they know no other way?

Any way, so much for restoring integrity to the White House. WH integrity has degraded to anywhere between -20 and +0.0001 on a scale of 1 to 100.

After this President, will the American people be able to trust the occupant of the Oval Office again? The winner of the 2008 election will be in for a rough ride.

Anonymous said...

It's nice to see people waking up to the fact that the mainstream media is nothing but staged, managed propaganda - not just for Bush and his cronies but for corporate America and our government as a whole. People need to realize that media, especially television, is used to manipulate the perception of the masses and, in so doing, to manipulate reality. We have been lulled into confusing perception with reality to our detriment and to the benefit of those who would abuse us. We need to become more astute at recognizing the techniques employed by the Fourth Estate and to always question what we are told.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what this guy's background is. Could he come from the College Republican? Also what's his real name? His picture looks like Jeff Gannon.

When the dust settle, the Military needs to look at itself in the mirror, and purge itself of these political hacks.

Jess D. said...

Cut these guys some slack. It's not that bad over here. You guys believe everything you see on CNN and the like. Let me tell you, it's nothing like that. I'm here. I'm a journalist for the Army. I go outside the wire all the time. And it's not nearly as bad as you guys are led to believe. The worst thing about it? Feeling like the American public cares nothing for you, that all you are to most people is another number to blame someone for. And yes, things are progressing. The Iraqi Army IS getting better. But for the media to admit that would be to admit they were wrong. And we all know how much that sucks sometimes.

Anonymous said...

I imagine it must be difficult for soldiers if they think that Americans aren't that interested in the war. I think that's really unfortunate, that so many of our troops are over there, and it just seems like it's not something that is keeping people up at night, aside from the families of the troops.

On the other hand, Iraq didn't attack the U.S., and didn't even have the capability to do so; there appears to be no link between Iraq and 9-11. And the war was presented to Americans as something that would be relatively easy: the mission was accomplished, and there was an end to major combat operations, over two years ago, according to the Bush administration.

So it's not terribly surprising that Americans aren't thinking that a lot is at stake in this war. Bush has to explain what is the American interest at stake here--not what's good for Iraqis and Iranians, but why it's good for Americans.

Anonymous said...

For a non-political view of what went on over there - there's a great new soldier memoir that holds nothing back and takes no sides:

www.justanothersoldier.com

Anonymous said...

jessica.. we all feel sorry for the troops. You're misinterpreting anti-war and anti-political-lie sentiments as anti-troop sentiments.

we're against the war, we're against the lies. and if the iraqi army is getting better... why did it go from 3 fully functional units down to one recently?

the facts and figures are showing the opposite of what you are posting here.

You may have seen some tame areas of Iraq... but that doesn't mean MK77's weren't used in falluja, it doesn't disprove the images that do slip through the media (the majority of which is a right-wing filter) and it doesn't counter 20,000+ civilian deaths nor justify the 2,000 US troops who've died.

As a reporter in the army, surely you know the real number is much higher than 2,000 when you count those who've died of their injuries off the ground. (~5,000 now)

If you should feel disappointed at anyone... it's not the left-wing, the centrists or the American people, all of whom are angry at this administrations lies.

You should be disappointed, even angry.. at the government that is lying about the numbers of deaths, lying about the reasons to go to war and failing to provide troops the protection and welfare they deserve for risking their lives.

You're moaning at us like we're unpatriotic when this administration has lied to you, stabbed you in the back and uses you in bad faith at every given opportunity.

Jessica... get it into your head... we LOVE our troops... that's why we want them (many of them just kids really) to come home from where they've been wrongfully sent thanks to this administrations bullshit lies and political corruption.

The worst thing is... the denials and lies are still there and many of our troops are being forced to stay in the way of danger because this administration refuses to admit it was wrong or even to change it's plans.

It's stubborness to deny it's lies or even flaws and refusal to even admit the truth (that it's not worth staying), is killing more US troops by the day.

Sure, stand up for the troops, but don't bother trying to stick up for the Bush administration. And don't suck up the bushit... the only division between the US troops and the US civilians is the propaganda driven one the Bush administration are trying to play on.

Anonymous said...

Nice work.

Anonymous said...

Yes Jessica, you are supporting an illegal war. It doesn't matter if it is going well or not, it is illegal.

Our soldiers know this and the guilt they feel must be horrendous. Killing babies for oil has long term pyschological affects.

Bush has no intention of winning this war or any war. The longer we are there the more money he and his cronies make.

The propaganda is to distract us from the fact that invading Iraq is illegal. Bush needs a legitimate reason for attacking Iraq and that reason changes daily.

Attacking a nation for the purpose of regime change is illegal. Supporting the illegal war makes you a co-conspirator. I hope all of the war supporters will be charged with conspiracy.

votetoimpeach.org

Good job on outing this brainwashed/profiting propagandist MediaCitizen.

Anonymous said...

This is not all just a facet of conspirators in the dark. It has a lot to do with big corporate-owned newspapers maximizing profits by simply re-reporting easy face-stories. Instead they should be hiring real reporters and backing them in researching real stories. In other words, it's just an extension of reality TV. The only real way to change all of this is to either start alternative, real newspapers back up, and/or to boycott big press.

Adam said...

Its time to realize that all mainstream media that is owned by larger parent corporations are not reliable new sources. It is simply impossible to suppose that they do not have an agenda other than maximizing profits. Corporations exist to make money therefore if our media is controlled by corporations we should not assume that they have any other interest other than profit.

Anonymous said...

Jessica --
Wag the Dog wrapped long ago. Why don't you go back to Central Casting and take Murphey with you! Things are okay outside the wire? Well. wire or no, we're in the wrong shooting match, in the wrong place, for the wrong reasons, listening to more and more wrongheadedness disguised as opinion.

Anonymous said...

'I'm a journalist for the Army.'

LOL. You are kidding right? Fess up to being a 'soldier propagandist' and your words might ring a little less false.

Anonymous said...

All of you "investigating" this young Lt. need to shut up and thank him for protecting your worthless butts.

Anonymous said...

My worthless butt attempted very vehemently back in early 2003 to keep the U.S. from illegally invading a country which had nothing to do with 9/11 and had no WMD's. Small consolation, but it appears close to 60 percent of the U.S. population now agrees with me. How do we get out of this mess?

Anonymous said...

What am I being protected against? WMDs that didn't exist? An Iraq/Al Queda connection that didn't exist? An Iraqi threat that didn't exist? Supporters of this war need to stop being such parrots.

Anonymous said...

Protecting our butts? Ask the people in New Orleans how protected they felt when their National Guard was elsewhere. Never mind the fact there were no Boogeymen in Iraq to begin with.

Anonymous said...

How could any active duty military support Bush. I am sure that any active duty military who support Bush has not really researched the reson for this war. I spent 20 years in the US Army, I recently retired; I went to Iraq, I know that the Iraqi people need our help but there are Americans that need our help. Bush is no Leader he is terrible. Impeach Bush now. Let him stage a press conference with some of the soldiers that were affected by the Stop-Loss! Let him hold a conference with the soldiers that have lost legs and arms. Here is a thought if you want to hold a press conference why not talk to the Lady that have been begging you to talk to her.

MR DIXON

KPTV-Watch said...

Jessica said:

"I'm here. I'm a journalist for the Army. I go outside the wire all the time. And it's not nearly as bad as you guys are led to believe."

Sorry, Jess, not buying. I don't believe you're there. Every story I've read recently about how it is in Baghdad paints a very bleak picture of life outside the Green Zone. Shit's blowing up all over the place. Exactly what part of "Hell on Earth" are we not understanding?

Anonymous said...

You should be ashamed.

Anonymous said...

You are all kooks! "Killing babies for oil has a trememdous long term psychological impact..." Yes......so? So does eating a corpse after 3 days of starvation in the wake of Katrina, but, just like that didn't happen, it is also untrue that ANY soldier is over there thinking he is killing babies for oil. Why can't you just be rational and normal for once in your lives?

Anonymous said...

The comments on this thread show just how much the modern day left cares about the troops, zero. They have never liked or appreciated what the military does for them. The only soldiers they like are the ones that badmouth their country ala John Kerry. Hell, these asshats hate America and are incapable of seeig any good in her or in those of us that love and support her.

Kevin said...

Nice job Timothy. That is if your intention was to destroy the morale of our military.

Anonymous said...

I was published several times in the Stars and Stripes and I was never picked to talk to the President. I had approximately 10 letters published in the Ventura County Star newpaper and I was never asked to talk to the president.

The fact is someone, anyone that can articulately arrange words into an opinion will usually get published.

You insult the Army LT's integrity and the sacrifice this man and his family endure with your non-sacrificial views from the safe sideline.

Anonymous said...

You folks need to cut back on the kool-aid. The soldiers were advised, not scripted. Bush and friends are not out to get you. You really don't need tin foil hats. Seriously. They don't help, and it makes you look foolish.

Anonymous said...

"You can support the troops but not the president."
--Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"Well, I just think it's a bad idea. What's going to happen is they're going to be over there for 10, 15, maybe 20 years."
--Joe Scarborough (R-FL)

"Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?"
--Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/6/99

"[The] President . . . is once again releasing American military might on a foreign country with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy. He has yet to tell the Congress how much this operation will cost. And he has not informed our nation's armed forces about how long they will be away from home. These strikes do not make for a sound foreign policy."
--Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

"American foreign policy is now one huge big mystery. Simply put, the administration is trying to lead the world with a feel-good foreign policy."
--Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"If we are going to commit American troops, we must be certain they have a clear mission, an achievable goal and an exit strategy."
--Karen Hughes, speaking on behalf of George W Bush

"I had doubts about the bombing campaign from the beginning . . I didn't think we had done enough in the diplomatic area."
--Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)

"I cannot support a failed foreign policy. History teaches us that it is often easier to make war than peace. This administration is just learning that lesson right now. The President began this mission with very vague objectives and lots of unanswered questions. A month later, these questions are still unanswered. There are no clarified rules of engagement. There is no timetable. There is no legitimate definition of victory. There is no contingency plan for mission creep. There is no clear funding program. There is no agenda to bolster our over-extended military. There is no explanation defining what vital national interests are at stake. There was no strategic plan for war when the President started this thing, and there still is no plan today"
--Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is."
--Governor George W. Bush (R-TX)


All Quotes from when Clinton committed troops to Bosnia

Anonymous said...

welcome, hyper-informed michelle malkin readers!

Anonymous said...

The war is not illegal.

The Iraq War Resolution and the Iraqi Liberation Act of 1998 both cite legal provisions for the authorization of force to effect US policy in Iraq. Both of these acts passed through the United States Congress, the legal legislative body of the United States Government, and signed by the President, the legal executive officer of the same. Both acts cite a large quantity of United Nations Security Coucil Resolutions that authorize "all means necessary" in enforcing the UNSC resolutions. Finally, in 1991, the Government of Iraq agreed to a conditional cease-fire. Consistently, the Iraqi government violated every single condition. In legal terms, this translates into a nullifcation of the cease fire, and resumption of hostilities between both parties. There is no argument that war is somehow illegal. All levels of law clearly demonstrate the opposite.

FYI - it is not US policy to "murder babies" like a commenter here has stated. The target acquision process goes through a multi-level accountability "test" to confirm the size, location, activity, and other essential information regarding the target. Only then is the go-code given to fire and destroy the target. It is not US policy to murder civilians; not for oil, not for any reason.

As for the commentor who asked why Bush does not speak with Ms. Sheehan - why would he waste his time speaking to a woman that spews nothing but hatred, even to the point of racism? She is illegitimate, and the only why she was considered by anyone is because she was a media item. Where is she now?

Anonymous said...

The reason America does not trust the modern-day Democratic party when it comes to national defense is simple: on all blogs and websites on the internet re Irag, the hate and vitriol is completely reserved for the President of the United States. Liberals hate Pres. Bush, but are ambivalent about Al Quaida! Remember Al Quaida? The terrorist death cult that attacked America and cuts the heads off of innocent people (on camera). The left ignores these people! This is why the left will lose again and again. America can't trust a political party that thinks that our country is at the root of all evil.

Mike O said...

I find it interesting that you would link only to a single millblogger, out of over 300 out there. Could it be because the vast majority of them support our ever-increasingly sucessful effort in Iraq?

How about you do a full poll of millbloggers and post the results? After all, these are the people who are in the thick of it.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous,
1. We won't have to throw our mothers in front of a bus to take out Bush. He and his friggin' incompent and corrupt regime are going to go down anyway. Wait until the indictments start coming out over the next few weeks.

2. How are the soldiers fighting in Iraq protecting us over here? Iraq wasn't going to attack us. Al Quaeda attacked us. Two different entities. And don't give me that "flypaper theory." It doesn't cut it with me.

3. Before you call me a liberal so-and-so, you should know I was an Army combat arms officer and a conservative until 1992 when I decided I wasn't about to die in a fucking desert for the likes of Bush I and Big Oil.

4. Just because we criticize Bush doesn't mean we like Saddam or Bin Laden. If you clowns are too dim to understand that then there's no wonder you support Bush.

5. Bush is going down. Mark my words.

ArrMatey said...

Do you have any inkling at all how much mental energy you must be wasting to observe a soldier who has made positive statements about the mission he is a part of, and somehow automatically see that to be disgraceful?

If you were to do some "digging" into my military career, you might also "uncover" that I always believed in what I was doing, or else I wouldn't have been doing it. Big shock there. What an expose.

Anonymous said...

“That we are to stand by the president, right or wrong is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
-Theodore Roosevelt

Anonymous said...

“Naturally the common people don’t want war. But after all, it is the
leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it’s always a
simple matter to drag people along whether it is a democracy or a
fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship.
Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of
the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are
being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and
for exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every
country.”
--- Hermann Goering, Hitler’s Reich Marshall, at the Nuremberg
Trials after World War II.

Timothy Karr said...

It appears that the good First Lieutenant has joined the thread. If that's you Gregg, please help shed some light on a couple of things.

Did you go to the Bush press event of your own accord, or were you invited by Army public affairs?

If you were invited, do you think you were randomly selected from a list of the more than 120,000 US soldiers in service in Iraq, or was your selection based upon things you might have said in the media prior to the event?

Do you think that in organizing this press event the Pentagon wanted to offer a diversity of soldiers' opinions about the progress of the war, or do you think they stacked the deck with soldiers that they knew would toe the official line?

Do you think the event succeeded in telling Americans the truth about Iraq, or was it more of a staged publicity stunt to bolster a president whose public standing is at an all-time low?

I await your reply.

In support of the troops and the truth,

MediaCitizen

Anonymous said...

Wow! A restatement of your assumptions in question form. You are talented! Not exactly a useful talent, but talented none the less...

TexasRainmaker said...

So what is the new chant on the Left?

"We oppose the war, but support the stooges?"

kipwatson said...

My first reaction to Commie propaganda like this is always disgust and anger. There they go again, the iron curtain of lies stretching back before Katrina Cannibals, before Plastic Turkey, before Afghan Winter, before Global Warming, before Jenin Massacre, before the Tet Offensive, all the way back to before WWII!

But every neo-con like me started as a brainwashed Leftist, and my moment of epiphany was the realisation that if *this* is a lie (in my case it was the 'Jenin Massacre'), then *what else* is a lie? The lie was my point of escape, so tell all the lies you like, Commies.

The media lies told in previous decades were well crafted and the truth well buried (literally, in mass graves, in many cases). The lies told by this generation's Commie mouthpieces are inept and the truth is right down here in the Comments!

Now, instead of one or two escapees painfully tunnelling out of the Leftist Thought-Prison while the guards aren't looking, now the guards are permanently stoned, the walls are full of gaping holes, and the trickle of ex-Commies who're finding their way into the light is becoming a flood.

Anonymous said...

The Debtonator said...
"Our soldiers know this and the guilt they feel must be horrendous. Killing babies for oil has long term pyschological affects."

What color is the sky where you're from?

Since when has killing babies every been a problem for liberals/leftists?

And since this is a "war for oil", why is oil so expensive? You'd think a market being flooded with "stolen" Iraqi oil would cause oil prices to drop. Oh, that's right, Bushitler McHaliburton is keeping prices high to make more money.

Please adjust your tinfoil hats, incoming message from the Mothership.

By the way, if you ever find yourself wondering why it is that people like you aren't in charge, read what you write and listen to you leader (Howard Dean).

Anonymous said...

When looking for a staged news events, look no futher than a Hillary "I can't recall" Clinton campaign stop.

Anonymous said...

Our soldiers know this and the guilt they feel must be horrendous. Killing babies for oil has long term pyschological affects.

American soldiers are openning abortion clinics in Iraq? News to me.

Anonymous said...

it is no wonder the left could not figure their way out of a paper bag .. being stuffed in said bag in the real world

:)

Anonymous said...

I was military when punks like you lefty nits were spittin on us and carrying the baby killer signs. Our discipline kept us from kicking the ass of the smelly ones back then. Don't press your luck!
You won't like the outcome!
Assholes!
PS That's NOT a threat, it's a signed in blood promise!

Anonymous said...

The little left wing slime that runs this silly halfass site isn't worthy to clean that soldier's boots.

And for all the other gutless whiners here who want to use this as an excuse to bash the military, you can piss off.

If you think this press conference didn't capture the feeling of the average soldier you are fooling yourself. As you set about drinking your Starbucks, trading you bumpersticker quotes to each other, the ones on the ground are seeing things as they truly are.

You are vapid little SOBs who stand for nothing save complaining about the actions of men and women far better than you can ever hope to be.

Anonymous said...

It's comforting to know that these right wingers, by their own actions and words, are being returned to the margins of society and relevance where they belong. The Bush era could only sustain itself for so long before the weight of history came crashing down upon it. Read the polls suckers. Your fantasy is over. Your lies have been revealed for what they are.

Re-read your posts above. Take a deep breath. Blow. And your heads should pop out of your asses.

Jess D. said...

To the comment about me not really being here? How should I prove it? Do you want me to talk about the sandstorm that came upon as I was out for my morning run on Monday? Do you want me to tell you what Saddam's palaces are REALLY like? Should I tell you about the IED that hit the vehicle in front of mine when I was doing a story on the CROWS? What exactly do you want to know? I'll tell you anything. And yes, things ARE getting better over here. Babies killed, huh? I guess it's easy to point fingers when you're sitting at home on your fat ass enjoying craptastic TV. As for WMDs? No, I know they haven't been found. But, I did visit an old chemical weapons storage facility. It was the size of a small town. And it used to be FILLED with chemical weapons. Let's be honest. We took an evil man out of power. The world is a better place.

Yo11Yo said...

Well, I was going to tell the truth, but then my head exploded thanks to buzzramjet.
I'll guess I'll lie then. The military hates it in Iraq they'd much rather be back home in Jesusland, living off of mommy and daddy's money. They are obviously too stupid to get real jobs or they wouldn't have joined up in the first place. They have to be told what to say in the press conference, after all, being military is prima facie evidence of low brain function. If they had just received decent educations they could hate Bush just like you smart folks.

Timothy Karr said...

Thanks for writing Gregg. I will take you up on that beer. Seriously.

I am disturbed by the number of people who have misread my post as an attack on the troops. I'm more concerned that your superiors at Pentagon public affairs and in the Bush Administration used the troops as bit players in a larger political scheme.

The Thursday event came across very poorly in mainstream media -- as though your responses were staged to bolster sagging public opinion polls domestically. I have watched the raw feed several times and wasn't the least bit convinced.

It's clear that the intent of the White House was to have troops spin the war for political gain. I base my assumptions upon a preponderance of evidence (laid out in this and other posts on MediaCitizen) and on my considerable expertise in government propaganda techniques (related to my work at FreePress.net and the Center for Media and Democracy).

This White House is fearful of dissenting views. Their control extends well beyond "frank" conversations with the troops to "town hall" meetings and press events in the US, where Bush’s handlers pre-screen all participants based upon their loyalty to the president.

While your words may have been heartfelt, it's clear that you were selected to participate based upon previous comments in the media -- particularly those made to Chattanooga Times-Free Press Correspondent Edward Lee Pitts.

I'm not questioning your sincerity as much as I am questioning the ways the White House uses soldiers as fodder to accomplish a partisan end.

If you believe in Bush's cause, then you might not have a problem playing a part in this deception. But what occurred on Thursday, was in no way an honest and balanced assessment of the situation on the ground in Iraq. They tried to pull the wool over the eyes of the media – and the American public – by presenting it as such.

It was a staged event featuring soldiers that support Bush's political aims. The White House needed only to call it for what it was.

There are many who don't share your optimism about our prospects for a peaceful handover and exit from Iraq. Some are soldiers who, like you, are stationed in country. I have read their letters, blogs and listened to some of their speeches.

If Bush wanted to have a frank and honest discussion with the troops, why not include some of their perspectives. Instead, the White House gave us an event that further highlighted this president's inability to consider both sides of a story.

I applaud the work that you are doing to ensure a peaceful future for that country.

Godspeed.

Tim.

P.S. Another wise man once said that "truth is the first casualty of war."

Timothy Karr said...

P.S. -- fixed the 2003 reference. My Bad

Yashmak said...

"The Thursday event came across very poorly in mainstream media -- as though your responses were staged to bolster sagging public opinion polls domestically."

Why is this not even remotely surprising? It's been a while since I read a mainstream media article about Iraq that bucked the trend of negativity. That, in spite of the fact that with very little effort, the views of the soldiers who are actually THERE can be found, and are directly contradictory with the stories printed in such outlets as WaPo, NYT, SF Chronicle etc. etc.

It is easy to see why so many here believe in a fabric of lies woven by the administration. The whole story isn't being printed by the media.

I find it odd that almost every time I see one of these stories, the soldier or individuals in question personally show up in the comments section and refute the opinions and/or facts of the author, and yet the anti-administration respondents still fail to question the veracity of their beliefs. Instead, those of us who don't buy into those beliefs are told we are ignorant/foolish/misinformed.

I agree wholeheartedly with respondent dreadneck, that much of the media these days is nothing more than editorial written as fact. But it's highly arguable which side it favors. I'd say the only responsible thing is for BOTH sides to take what they read in the mainstream with not just a grain of salt, but a whole shakerfull. I know I do.

Anonymous said...

As a US Army doctor at Walter Reed, I must correct the "lie" that there have been "5000 deaths off the ground". The 1997 US military deaths to date include all who have died of their injuries after leaving Iraq.
We have fought and won wars more costly and opponents far more capable than the ones we find ourselves fighting now.
Even the Vietman war, the only one the liberals ever seem to mention, was merely a battle that we lost in a larger war we won, that being the downfall of the CCCP (Soviet Union for those of you with "D"s in history class).
My wife was there in Iraq, Qatar, and Afghaninstan for a year recently (she's in the Army too), and I may have to go at some point myself. Few of us chose to die, but we all joined the military on our own, so we know that we may be ordered into a situation that could result in our deaths. Most of us hope that if we do die, it be for a cause we believe in, and not in vain.
19 died in Somalia in 1993, then President Clinton pulled out of Somalia shortly afterward, as his pollsters told him his favorable ratings were declining. This, along with Reagan's similar mistake in 1982 of pulling out of Lebanon after the Hezbollah bombing, has given the Arab world (our enemies and potential friends alike)the impression that the US has little resolve.
History says otherwise. When motivated under determined leadership, we have prevailed against the British Empire in our own War of Independence, the Confederacy in our own civil War - Lincoln's desire to preserve the Union - and FDR's "unconditional surrender" when fighting German and Italian fascism and Japanese imperialism in WWII.
Many in the Military think that we would have fought Saddam Hussein at some point in the future anyway, as he was not the typical "Dictator for Life" who maintains a large enough military and police force to crush internal dissent (such as Castro, Mugabe, Mubarak, Assad, Qaddafi, etc...), but he was instead a true megalomaniac, a Hilter "wannabe", with a vastly out-of-proportion army and air force for his nation's size and population.
Thankfully, his military was overrated, as has been every Arab military since Salhadin.
Well, it is late, got to get up early, take care.