On Bill Moyers' Journal tonight I will be featured along with with two of the few journalistic "heroes" of prewar Iraq coverage from Knight Ridder/McClatchy (see video promo below). The lengthy segment probes the media reaction (or lack of) to the "complicit enabler" charges in Scott McClellan's new book What Happened, the new Senate report on cooked intelligence in the runup to the attack on Iraq in 2003, and the possible threat of a U.S. move on Iran.
Many of us have long hailed the McClatchy guys -- Washington bureau chief John Walcott and ace reporter Jonathan Landay -- for being among the most persistent, and accurate, in questioning the administration's evidence in the runup to the war.
On the segment, taped yesterday, I observe: "There's been numerous opportunities, actually, just in the last few weeks for the media to do this self-assessment. ... You remember the fifth anniversary of the start of the war. Almost no media self-assessment at that time. Pointing fingers at everybody but themselves. There was the milestone of 4,000 deaths in Iraq. There was the fifth anniversary of 'mission accomplished.' Another great opportunity for this. We had the scandal of the Pentagon media generals -- as they call them, 'message magnifiers' -- we had that opportunity.
"Now we've had Scott McClellan. There's been at least six opportunities in the last two months for the media to do this long delayed and much needed self-assessment -- self-criticism -- to the American public, and it hasn't happened."
I will also be blogging at the Moyers site starting tonight. The Moyers show may air later in the weekend over some stations that are showing "pledge week" programming tonight.
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One other thing, this in re Scott McClellan's book "What Happened." Most of the reviews I've seen blame him for not bringing this info out sooner. He felt he was being a loyal soldier to Bush, who he practically vindicates in the book. One has to respect loyalty, even though I don't think Bush deserves it. I'm not sure what group I fall into: those who liked McClellan's point-of-view, or the pooh-pooh'ers who think he's lame to bring it out now. I'm just glad that it came out. I know I'd like to see McClellan testify before Congress, via subpoena and under oath, no executive privilege. Country before party and all that.
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Posted June 6, 2008 | 03:48 PM (EST)