Bush Poisoning Iraqi Media Against Insurgency, Democrats

The old right-wing canard about having to pick up a Baghdad paper to read something positive about the war has proved as bogus and contrived as the reasons for invading Iraq in the first place.

Suspicious over reports of actual progress in Iraq, the Los Angeles Times launched an investigation and was shocked to discover that the Pentagon had been paying the Iraqi media to publish articles that “while factually correct, presented a positive view of the conditions in Iraq”. As they descended further down the rabbit hole, the Times learned that many of the planted reports were penned by U.S. troops stationed in Iraq, most of whom don’t even have journalism degrees and therefore cannot accurately describe the pointless futility of an illegal and immoral war for oil. According to the Times, the stories would often “praise the efforts of U.S. and Iraqi troops, denounce terrorism and promote the country's reconstruction efforts”, a total contradiction what the Los Angeles Times has been printing for over two years.

I guess this will put to rest the radical right’s constant attacks on the integrity of the mainstream press. Say what you will about the New York Times, but you certainly couldn’t pay the Old Gray Lady to write anything positive about the troops.

Comments

[Crazy Politico]

Okay, now that I'm laughing full throttle, the day can begin...

[dave]

I think all the news should be bad from Iraq.( If a dem was in charge the news would be all good) I think the headline for all newspapers sunday should be:

THE WAR IN IRAQ IS LOST. LET US NOW SURRENDER TO OUR ISLAMIC OVERLORDS....

Keep speaking truth to power, Lar.

[aelfheld]

God forbid the Los Angeles Times or the New York Times print anything that might be "factually correct".

[PTPFP]

Well, as Larry pointed out, the writers at the G(r)ay Lady and the Times have either gotten genuine groundpounding journalism degrees by going into the trenches of investigative journalism and creative writing. Noting that sometimes observation can be highly subjective, they have their stories edited by left wing pundits (who haven't absented their fat asses from the halls of academia) for accuracy...and no, correct spelling and grammar are not what they are looking for.

They are looking for Positives to turn into Negatives.
They are teaching them how to spin the tale.
Jayson Blair was obsessed with the facts, and that is why the NYT fired him.

[PTPFP]

And who pays the writers to spew their claptrap? Could be....SADDAM? (said with the Church Lady echo)

[Bush4Ever]

It's worse than you think it is. Much worse. There are people in IraKKK who are actually conned into believing that they are making a difference. As all good Lyberals, I mean, Progressyves, know, this non-Vietnam-like quagmire War For The Oil Masters Of The Bu$Hitler Regime will only result in more AmeriKKKan soldiers being shipped home in bodybags instead of more Little Eichmann AmeriKKKans being killed on AmeriKKKan soil as they should be.

Who are these people who are being conned?

Project Quenches Thirst for Clean Water

I'm sure there are many more.

[camojack]

speaking of poisoning the media...I'll turn it off.

Is that better?

[Damian G.]

Truth SUCKS!!!

[MMM'BILLY]

Dear secular G*D! Say it's not true! Facts? Have our military stooped even lower than our enemies, logic and reasoning, that they're now using FACTS?!?!?! What's next!? Common sense!?!?!?!?! OH DEAR SECULAR COSMIC BEING! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111111111111111111111111111111one111111111111111111111111111111111eleven111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111112

[libmeister]

How dare the reich-wing military, aided and abetted by the Bu$Hitler administration, have the gall to actually put truthful and accurate stories into Baghdad newspapers without the progressyve American media vetting the stories. Gaia knows that accurate facts aren't enough but rather there has to be a balance of bad news with the good in every article.

However the American media is perfectly within its rights to only publish negative stories if they happen to be headline material and advances the cause of peace in the world ... you know, freedom of the press.

[libmeister]

Bush4Ever,

Always remember, far better to fight the enemy on your own turf than an enemy half-way around the world. It's cheaper and the supply lines are shorter.

And to echo our mentor and hero Ward Churchill: "Damn those little Eichmann's at the WTC, they got what they deserved. I sure wasn't getting my cut!"

[libmeister]

Oh, and I heard the soundbite of the progressyve reporter who shouted the following question after Mr. Bush's speech on Thursday: "Mr. President, what about the propaganda the military has been putting ... *noise, mumble, mumble, blah, blah, noise*

I'm just wondering out loud here, but when did "accurately telling the truth" become "propaganda"?

I better put my tinfoil hat back on, I can't believe I actually asked that question.

[BillyJoeBob@TheGasStation]

"Bush4Ever,

Always remember, far better to fight the enemy on your own turf than an enemy half-way around the world. It's cheaper and the supply lines are shorter."

Ya know...there was this Chinee fella who what spelled out how we should fight and stuff like that. I know a lot Librals prolly bought one of his books and have that book on their coffee tables to impress folks. Me? I learnt his words and can use them in places far beyond any coffee table.

SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR

[Talking Toaster]

I am just as disturbed by this horrible trend of factual reporting as the rest of you. We know that facts are a dime a dozen - it's opinions that count. Thanks to enlightened professors like Liberal Larry and progressive journalists like AP writer Liz Sidoti we can turn this trend around.

A quick look The Modern Populist reveals Liz Sidoti's true blue progressyvness:

'Bush Faces Decision on Bolton Nomination'

President Bush faces a politically thorny situation _ and stark choices _ now that Senate Democrats twice have blocked John Bolton's confirmation as U.N. ambassador.

'U.S. Gen. Pulls Back on Iraq withdrawal'

The number of Iraqi battalions capable of combat without U.S. support has dropped from three to one..

'Democrats Force Closed Meeting On Iraq'

Democrats forced the Republican-controlled Senate into an unusual closed session Tuesday, questioning intelligence that President Bush used in the run-up to the war in Iraq...

See: The Modern Populist

[Liz Sidoti on the Kerry Campaign]

'On the campaign trail'

By Liz Sidoti

The week Ronald Reagan died, my family asked if I had watched the funeral procession or visited the Capitol while his body lay in state there, just six blocks from my house. An Associated Press reporter covering the presidential election, I reminded them that I missed the historic events because I wasn't in D.C., but on the campaign trail at the time with Democratic candidate John Kerry.
Only a short while later I realized I had been six feet from his casket - when Kerry stopped at Reagan's library to pay his respects while in California for his eldest daughter's graduation from film school. I had been so intent on writing about Kerry that it didn't dawn on me where I had been... I moved to Washington and AP's national political team in October 2003 after four and a half years with AP in Ohio. I've typically been chained to my desk in Washington because my assignment is writing about political...

See: Liz Sidoti

[Profile for Liz Sidoti]

'Military brass: Guantanamo detaines treated well'

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter challenged Congress Wednesday to help define legal rights of terrorism-era detainees at Guantanamo Bay, bemoaning a "crazy quilt" system...

'Rice Won't Rule out U.S. troops in Iraq in 10 years'

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday refused to rule out U.S. troops still serving in Iraq in 10 years...

'House Democrat calls for withdrawal from Iraq'

An influential House Democrat who voted for the Iraq war called Thursday for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, another sign of growing unease in Congress about the conflict. "It is time for a change in direction," said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., one of Congress' most hawkish Democrats. "Our military is suffering, the future of our country is at risk..."

see: Liz Sidoti

[Che]

Damn italics...

Doesn't Dumbya know that the only legal way to subsize political propaganda is through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting?

<\character mode> Five bucks says the publication American servicement were contributing to was Stars and Stripes.<character mode>

First the Shrub creates Faux Nooooos to run CNN out of business, and now he's trying to do the same to Al Jazeera! What's his grudge against Ted Turner, anyway?

[Che]

Die italics! DIE!

[Bubblehead]

Che -- you should read about the contribution to Stars & Stripes from a progryssyve Captain in Iraq -- he, correctly, blames the joooooos, and reveals that Iraqis were doing quadratic equations when Europeans were living in trees. (The link above goes to the "blog" that Bush always changes my name-link to; the letter itself is here.)

[JannyMae]

Hey, Bubblehead, I had seen that post of yours yesterday, as I got linked to it from NewsBusters. Good job!

[Fist of Etiquette]

The United States is propagandizing a pro-American agenda during wartime?

Yawn.

[libmeister]

Hillary has bravely come out and accused Bush of "mismanaging the war" just like her husband Bill mismanaged Somalia which resulted in the Blackhawk Down withdrawal. Warmongers.

But progressyves beware! Hillary is still pro-war, she just thinks she can run the war better, just like she ran the White House. Everyone knows that if Laura would let George relax a bit by chasing some intern tail and taking a few hits off the bong, he could be every bit as good as Commander in Chief as Bill Clinton! But I do believe Clinton was meeting more often with Monica than he was with CIA Director George Tenet. Of course Monica had the inside scoop on Osama bin Laden having serviced him several years before.

I guess we really do need someone like Hillary in 2008.

[PTPFP]

Bill Clinton did not mismanage Somalia. That was the fault of the sojers on the ground. He was busy managing his many affairs and unwisely left it to the Pentagon
and the Captain Coffee Hos.

[Bilgeman]

From the "Personals" section of the Baghdad Post:

"SA(rab)M,very religious, early 20's, non-smoker, non-drinker ISO 72 virgins for eternal commitment.Have own suicide belt. Send photo of lucky girls in full chador. Consanguinity preferred."

Regards;

[Truth to Power]

To combat this wholesale kidnapping of factual reporting by the Bush ReichWing Conspiracy, Al Jazeera gets the facts down and dirty from the Dems, who serve as stringers. Boots-on-the-ground Jimmy Massey is looking forward to garnering well-deserved recognition from the Sheikh Dan Rather Award Committee, chaired this year by Jayson Blair.

Commondreams.org was not available for comment, as its staff is scrambling to use its pack journalism skill to co-opt this story.

[Talking Toaster]

Che,

I have a whole bread basket full of italics tags. And, even a few Bold tags left over from last Winter Fest. And, they have a shelf life longer than Jason Blair.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Ugh.

Al Jazeera doing play by play with Cindy Sheehan on color commentary, and Jimmy Massey on the sidelines for player reaction.

Get Petie Arnett into the opposing locker room for halftime interviews and you got yourself full coverage of the game.