Not Even NBC Buys, or Can Fit, 'Overseas Contingency Operation'

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NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams offered this brief update on Wednesday's newscast: “We learned today there's no more Global War on Terror -- at least it's been renamed by the Obama administration. The Pentagon will now call the ongoing U.S. military effort the 'Overseas Contingency Operation.'” That presumes the war, I mean “effort,” will continue.

But not even the NBC News graphics staff bought the new name , or at least couldn't fit the longer name into a graphic. As Williams spoke, NBC displayed “FIGHTING TERROR.”

The short item from Williams came right after he pointed out “a stunning turn of events in Iraq” as “the level of violence in Iraq has thankfully fallen sharply.”

From the Wednesday, March 25 NBC Nightly News:

We wanted to take a moment tonight to note a stunning turn of events in Iraq. As you might have noted, there was not one question about the war in last night's presidential news conference. While it has been crowded off the national radar of late, the level of violence in Iraq has thankfully fallen sharply. A military spokesman there said today the number of attacks has dropped to the lowest level since the month following the U.S. invasion six years ago now -- from a peak of more than 1,200 attacks a week, to what is now often fewer than 100 a week.

And we learned today there's no more Global War on Terror -- at least it's been renamed by the Obama administration. The Pentagon will now call the ongoing U.S. military effort the Overseas Contingency Operation.