Straight Talk Express Derailed--by straight talk Contributed by 72nd TCS
On Sunday, Republican Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Indiana's Representative Mike Pence strolled through a Baghdad marketplace as a show of confidence in the improved security resulting from the "clear and hold" tactics introduced there by General Petraeus. Afterwards, these members of Congress held a press conference at which McCain expressed cautious optimism about the progress made so far. The AP account was picked up by some newspapers. As with yesterday's about the imminent exhaustion of funds to pursue the war, the Washington Post did not deem the press conference newsworthy. The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and others treated it in the lackluster fashion that customarily greets any favorable news or comment regarding the war in Iraq. The citation that follows is taken from the major Phoenix outlet, The Arizona Republic:
Senator visits Baghdad; 6 U.S. soldiers are killed
Associated Press Apr. 2, 2007 12:00 AM
BAGHDAD - After a heavily guarded trip to a Baghdad market, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., insisted Sunday that a U.S.-Iraqi security crackdown in the capital was working and said Americans lacked a "full picture" of the progress.
The U.S. military later reported that six soldiers were killed in roadside bombings.
McCain, a presidential hopeful, acknowledged that a difficult task lies ahead in Iraq but criticized the media for not giving Americans enough information about the recent drop in sectarian killings, the establishment of security posts and efforts against al-Qaida.
"These and other indicators are reason for cautious, very cautious optimism about the effects of the new strategy," McCain said.
This is typical of the objective reporting that one sees: a brief, flat, recital of the bare facts. The New York Times, by contrast,, weighs in at the outset with a resounding "But," setting the story in the context of the daily horrors generated by the enemy’s all-too-effective media campaign:
By
BAGHDAD, April 1 — Mortar attacks, suicide car bombs, roadside bombs, ambushes and gun battles killed at least two dozen people on Sunday, including four American soldiers, the authorities said.
The American military command said the soldiers were killed southwest of Baghdad just after midnight as they responded to an earlier bombing that had killed two other American soldiers. The insurgents have frequently tried to reap greater death tolls by carrying out attacks against rescue crews rushing to bomb sites.
The attacks coincided with a visit to by Congressional delegation led by Senator , who declared at a news conference that the new American security plan was “making progress” and that there was cause for “very cautious optimism.”
In sometimes testy comments to reporters in the heavily fortified Green Zone, Mr. McCain said the American public was not receiving “the full picture about what’s happening,” and he described the delegation’s visit to a downtown market where scores of people have died this year in multiple car bombings and other attacks. There, the members of Congress said, they strolled around, haggled with merchants and drank tea.
But the outing was far from carefree. The delegation traveled in a convoy of armored military vehicles and was accompanied by a large contingent of heavily armed soldiers. The politicians wore body armor while they shopped.
“We had protection today,” Mr. McCain acknowledged when pressed by reporters.
The technique is not the least bit subtle, but highly effective. The Newspaper of Record conveys the strong impression that Senator McCain and his colleagues are a bunch of fakers, donning body armor and surrounding themselves with an impenetrable military cordon in order to create an artificial impression of progress in Baghdad.
On the left-leaning side of the blogosphere, McCain’s remarks unleashed a storm of sneers, jeers, and vilification, with epithets such as Neverland, delusions and pandering [to wingnuts] rife in the telling. [Too many examples for links. Just GOOGLE "McCain Baghdad" and slog through the muck.]
The senator certainly knew what he was in for, and even invited it by taunting the media to their faces, as reported by :
‘The American people are not getting the full picture of what’s happening here. They are not getting the full picture of the drop in murders, the establishment of security outposts throughout the city, the situation in Anbar, the deployment of additional Iraqi brigades who are performing well, and other signs of progress,’ he said.
No gift of prophecy is needed to foresee the end of the McCain-Media honeymoon. In truth, it’s here. As a serious candidate for the presidency, he has chosen to speak his mind on the central and most controversial issue of our time. Whatever the impact on his ambitions may be, he has vouchsafed an admirable embrace of principle. He deserves our respect, whether or not he gets our vote.
Contributed by 72nd TCS on April 2, 2007 at 02:31 PM in , , , , , |