In an act of blatant propaganda, half-a-dozen conservative talk radio hosts spent the past week broadcasting from Iraq on a Defense Department-sponsored trip aimed at finding the "good news that the old-line liberal news media won't tell you about." The trip was sponsored by "Move America Forward"--the same idiots who sold "I Love Gitmo" bumper stickers on their website.
So what have they found? Not much at all. This has amounted to little more than a week-long pep rally, and it's a shame that taxpayer money was wasted on this misguided stunt. Baghdad is no place to improve a radio career, and if they're so interested in improving morale, why not go over with the U.S.O.?
One of the groups co-sponsoring the event has asked for, "contributions for coffee, cookies and calling cards" for the Troops. These are Troops who need more than just cookies. They face serious problems both in the field and upon return, including a V.A. that is under-funded by nearly $3 billion. The commentator clowns might mean well, but they're doing the Troops a real disservice by ignoring the significant hurdles our men and women in uniform face.
Even before arriving in country, the so-called 'Truth Tour' had taken to depicting the conflict in rosy terms. After a barbecue at CENTCOM in Tampa, commentator Howard Kaloogian spoke with excitement about the upcoming, "vacation adventure."
Mr. Kaloogian, take your war tourism and stick it up your microphone. You and your buddies stayed for a mere four days in the luxiorious confines of the Green Zone and saw images like these. Real troops are there for a year and see images like these.
This is a war zone, not a photo op. For the Troops in Baghdad, Tikrit and Fallujah, who are being deployed for their second and third tours, this war is far from a 'vacation adventure.' This type of shameless cheerleading and agenda-driven journalism is an insult to those who have sacrificed on the frontlines of this war and experienced its terrible toll.
America needs leaders, not salesmen. If these Truth Tour super-patriots really want to support the war effort, there are plenty of slots in Army Civil Affairs units for aspiring radio show hosts. Maybe some of them will be inspired to sign up after their recent trip to the Sandbox.