Twice NBC's Andrea Mitchell Confuses Iraq With Vietnam

Twice NBC's Andrea Mitchell Confuses Iraq With Vietnam

By Brent Baker (Bio | Archive)
October 31, 2007 - 20:26 ET

In a great illustration of how many mainstream media journalists view the war in Iraq through the prism of the war in Vietnam, twice on Wednesday's NBC Nightly News veteran foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell said “Vietnam” when she meant to say “Iraq.” Offering a brief summary of how State Department foreign service employees are fighting a plan to involuntarily assign 40 of them to the embassy in Baghdad, Mitchell told anchor Brian Williams about a meeting held Wednesday:

There were a couple of hundred diplomats -- this is extraordinary -- they rebelled against being ordered to Vietnam. Basically, 40 of them will have to go to Vietnam or lose their, excuse me, go to Iraq. This is the first time this has happened since the Vietnam war. There have not been such orders and they could lose their jobs if they don't go to Iraq and they clearly don't want to...

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Below is the exchange on the October 31 NBC Nightly News as aired at 7pm EDT on Washington, DC's NBC-owned WRC-TV. (Judging by the live video screen behind Mitchell showing MSNBC's 6pm EDT Tucker, this was an un-updated 6:30pm EDT feed of the newscast.) Mitchell was at the NBC anchor desk with Williams following her report summarizing the Tuesday night Democratic presidential debate:

BRIAN WILLIAMS: While we have you here tonight, a little bit of political hubbub today at the State Department, your usual beat in Washington.

ANDREA MITCHELL: There were a couple of hundred diplomats -- this is extraordinary -- they rebelled against being ordered to Vietnam. Basically, forty of them will have to go to Vietnam or lose their, excuse me, go to Iraq. This is the first time this has happened since the Vietnam war. There have not been such orders and they could lose their jobs if they don't go to Iraq and they clearly don't want to, whether they are against the war or against the policy, they said it was because they hadn't been told, they read about it in the paper. And here's what one of them had say...

—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center

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No surprise here

October 31, 2007 - 20:28 ET by Galvanic

She's always been a weak news reader. When she's off the teleprompter, she loses coherence.

Her world is bounded by the halls of Washington buildings, 5-star restaurants, and cocktail parties of the rich and powerful, and her commentary reflects it.

Not a Mistake

October 31, 2007 - 21:31 ET by Jerry Mack

I have my doubts that this was an accident. They have been trying to make Iraq another Vietnam since about the time the first bomb was dropped.

Sounds like Andrea had your

October 31, 2007 - 21:35 ET by Dave R

Sounds like Andrea had your basic "Freudian slip." Either that or a Vietnam flash-back.

Too funny.

MRS. GREENSPAN...

November 1, 2007 - 13:28 ET by danybhoy

Who has been trying to say Iraq is Vietnam & vice versa? Baby Boomer hippy generation types, Kennedy, Kerry, & the like. Mrs.Greenspan does'nt hang out with many people who are not from this era, since she never leaves the beltway or Manhattan, she is almost never exposed to the views of those who think outside of the elitest mindset, she does'nt know any better.

"Some of us are wise, some of us are otherwise" Mark Levin

Swift Boating

October 31, 2007 - 21:52 ET by exLib

I think this was a great opportunity for Brian to call Andrea on her Swift Boating those who make policy at the State Departmnet.

Last time I checked it's the employer who gets to call the shots or you quit. You can't say to your boss, "Hey I'm against the War, so I am not going to go" if the policy is set they need to go for whatever reason.

Who cares if Andrea Mitchell Blew a Brain Gasket

October 31, 2007 - 22:14 ET by Lame Cherry

Only 2 points I care about in this story:

First that George Bush fires these 40 dickheads for refusing to do their jobs.

Second, that George Bush hires me as a State Department diplomat for Iraq. I would love it being in that concrete big ole bunkhouse. It would be quite the adventure in being Lame Cherry of Arabia riding camels and horses outside the green zone.......get to go up north and play with the Kurds who are the most wonderful of people.

Let Mrs. Greenspan suffer from her geezer husbands senility as that is no story. Firing State Department communists is and what a great opportunity to put 40 good Americans into Iraq as that complex is safer than New York........and for an adventurer the land of the Chaldeas is a dream place to explore.
Contrary to popular news propaganda, allot of the National Guard freight haulers did allot of sight seeing over there. Iraq is a great place and a great job.

Semper Fi

*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS

"...Lame Cherry of Arabia

October 31, 2007 - 22:57 ET by stratman

"...Lame Cherry of Arabia riding camels and horses outside the green zone..."

Quite possibly the funniest and best thing you've ever posted.

Thank you for that.

Killing them with kindness isn't working. Time to get scrappy with the Donkeys.

Heres Vietnam in a minute

November 1, 2007 - 00:06 ET by upcountrywater

A refresher for A. Bitchell

Entitlement over infrastructure every SINGLE time.

Maybe it is me but I swore

November 1, 2007 - 00:35 ET by Airforce_5_O

Maybe it is me but I swore I heard "when you wish upon a star" Playing in the background.

The only thing you should feel when shooting insurgents is the rifle recoil.

State Department foreign service employees

November 1, 2007 - 06:26 ET by ThisnThat

Let's see, hmmmmm, foreign service employees.

Well, an Iraq assignment is a foreign service, is it not? Seems to me that when you apply for a job like foreign service, your job is to serve in a foreign country, at times, is it not?

Why doesn't our astute reporter (Andrea) point this out? Exactly how dumb is she, anyway?

___________________________________

If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber

One of the things that

November 1, 2007 - 06:38 ET by BD

One of the things that pisses me off is that one of the missions of the state department is educating foregin government on Democracy and assisting their movement towards it.

But they do not seem to be too fired up about it in Iraq or Afghanastan, leaving it to young SSG and LT to handle that mission.

It allows the denizens of Foggy bottom more time to consume imported bon-bons in the greenzone.

Far out

November 1, 2007 - 07:38 ET by Killgrave

I think Ms. Mitchell might've done a little TOO much acid back in the day. When she zones out like this, I wonder what her eyes look like (dilated?).

I also wonder if she hears strains of "Incense and Peppermint" in her ears during these spells?

Yep, too much acid.

Nah

November 1, 2007 - 09:27 ET by Del Dolemonte

Andrea's drug of choice is sodium pentathol. You know, to put her to sleep for yet another face lift?

Isn't that the drug that

November 1, 2007 - 11:15 ET by Jimbo

Isn't that the drug that makes you tell the truth? If it is, she's never taken it.

Leon says "By the way, I'm not afraid of fat people, I'm repulsed"

Truth Monger Says - "Both are religions [Christianity & Islam], yes - with the same percentage of terrorists."

I'm sure Katie Couric

November 1, 2007 - 08:02 ET by Hero Squad

I'm sure Katie Couric misread the teleprompter. Excuse me, Andrea Mitchell. Then again, maybe Katie was trying to make some sort of point with her slip.

**My Daughter at the WWII Memorial