One Way Out

It's hard both to believe and to stomach the reaction to the Petraeus report (as well as to the MoveOn.org advertisement). It's as if the MSM players actually see themselves as "actors" in a drama with their lines and stage instructions already written. I mean, did anyone really think that Petraeus was going to say anything other than "things are a little bit better, let's stay the course" even though we know very well from the GAO and other sources that this is nonsense? And really, has this administration ever said anything but "things are a little better, let's stay the course" during this entire debacle? And yet everyone reports this as if suffering from amnesia that destroys the memory of everything that's been said and done in all of American history up until the general appeared. Again, is there anything more pathetic than the way journalists swoon for generals -- well, perhaps it's for presidents who dress up in flight suits with large protective cups around their private parts -- but still. And yes, I think the MoveOn.org advertisement is counterproductive, since the case is so much stronger than a silly pun could have communicated. But seriously, who has been getting soldiers killed for no good reason for the past five years and is now insisting on the right to continue to do so rather than admit the colossal nature of their error? Hint: It's not MoveOn. Anyway, as I said, read the coverage and ask yourself how these people take themselves seriously. I study (and teach) this stuff for a living and I can't even fully explain it.

Read the whole Altercation here.

Comments

[Jane22]

I think the ad is brilliant! It is point blank honest and uses the distortion of his name to expose TRUTH! I've noted over the years that many names and the places/positions these persons occupy are closely associated with their real Karma. If a candidate was to have said this, they would have faced calls for withdrawal from this presidential process. That anyone alive could believe that any of the Bush/Cheney minions would ever tell the truth is deluded! We have their complete history to prove this as fact. More later, Jane

[texanna]

Yeah, I liked the ad, too. It said exactly what I think. And all this stuff about respecting the General, well, maybe if he hadn't opened himself up to the political attack (pro-Bush op ed shortly before 2004 election and lobbying the Republicans in Mitch McConnell's office before the vote in May 2007) the ad might have been off base.

[altohone]

The propaganda machine is working overtime.

The shills in the corporate media know their jobs are on the line if they challenge it.

That the Pentagon numbers don't jibe with independant assessments is just another scandal of manipulation that Americans should expect but not tolerated.

When the reality that American casualties this summer were higher than last summer is spun as progress or proof that the surge is working boggles my mind.

I wouldn't be surprised if the higher ups at the Washington Post were dressed down when two of their reporters questioned the accuracy and methodology in their recent articles... insider pressure to prevent follow ups from being published seems likely.

[PPatt]

Very good observation about MSM media pundits playing an actor role. However, it does not seem genuine but rather base on some tiwsted concept of propriety and where their viewers/readers need to be led.

[BillZBubb]

I like the MoveOn ad. It gets the corporate media off their Bush propaganda points. They actually have to discuss the general's credibility.

The US mainstream media has become a colossal joke. Some in the print media are exceptions but they are too few. In broadcast news media, quality is almost nonexistent--Olbermann and ...? Can't think of anyone else, can you?

Comedy central presents the best news in the US. How sad is that?