From:
Bill McGaughey
Date:
Aug 28 15:49 UTC
Short link
A network of defense-policy officials, journalists, academics, elected
officials and others, known as “neo-cons”, are credited with pushing the Bush
administration into war with Iraq in the aftermath of 9/11. A sometimes
obscure but well-coordinated effort among members - a “conspiracy”, perhaps -
succeeded in convincing the public that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass
destruction despite lack of clear evidence.
A revealing documentary narrated by Bill Moyers on public television recently
showed how journalists such as William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard,
created a drumbeat for war with Iraq that was echoed in major media outlets
such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.
Allegations of Saddam Hussein’s malignant intentions and capabilities, later
proved false, overpowered more sober estimates gathered from the intelligence
community and international inspections which were reported in less prominent
newspapers owned by the Knight-Ridder chain. An especially egregious example of
media manipulation cited by Moyers was Vice President Cheney’s leak of false
information to the New York Times, its appearance in the Times without
attribution, and then Cheney’s use of the New York Times story to confirm his
views on a television talk show.
In this context, I was interested to read an opinion article by William Kristol
in the Star Tribune, reprinted from the New York Times, in which Kristol touted
Sen. Joe Lieberman as John McCain’s running mate. The stated reason as that
Lieberman has strong foreign-policy experience (to counter Biden’s) and he
might appeal to independents, conservative Democrats, and voters who favored
legal abortions. Nothing was said of the fact that Lieberman is also the
Senate’s leading hawk. (That was why Connecticut Democrats dumped him when he
ran for reelection in 2006.) A McCain-Lieberman administration would be
strongly positioned to continue the pro-war policies of the Bush-Cheney
administration. This is important to neocons who want the United States now to
attack Iran.
Speaking of drumbeats, an article in today’s Star Tribune, again reprinted from
the New York Times, has Joe Lieberman on John McCain’s short list for Vice
President, along with Tim Pawlenty and Mitt Romney. Previous lists have
included mainly the last two individuals and not Lieberman. Another neocon
journalist, David Brooks, promoted Lieberman’s possible inclusion on the McCain
ticket as a way to counter Joe Biden in convention commentary on public
television Tuesday evening. So all of a sudden we have Lieberman being
promoted for Vice President by a group of journalists associated with pro-war
policies of the administration, with nothing said of Lieberman’s possible
usefulness in that regard. They’re all on the same message but, of course,
there was no conspiracy!
A problem I have is lack of disclosure. The Iraq war has been an absolute
disaster for this country. The neocons, especially journalists like William
Kristol, played a key role in preparing the country for that war through false
information. It seems to me that Kristol and his friends are preparing to
sucker punch the public for a second time. Yet, ninety plus percent of the
Star Tribune readers would probably have been unaware of Kristol’s role in the
pre-invasion media manipulation. Under normal circumstances, Star Tribune
editors would have pointed out the connection. Instead, there was silence.
The neocons, having misled the American people in the runup to the Iraq
invasion, apparently remain respectable journalists who can repeat their
deceptive act without comment for a second time. They still have free access
to the New York Times and the Star Tribune.
What’s wrong with this picture? Quite a lot. Some journalists have an agenda
to push. As with other commercial products, their published writings should
come with a warning label.
(A personal disclosure: I am running for Congress in the 5th District of
Minnesota representing the Independence Party.)