GE Signs Multi-Billion Iraq Deal: Time for NBC to Declare 'Civil War' Over?

Photo of Mark Finkelstein.
By Mark Finkelstein (Bio | Archive)
September 29, 2008 - 16:05 ET

On the November 27, 2006 edition of Today, as noted here, Matt Lauer portentously declared: 

After careful consideration, NBC News has decided the change in terminology is warranted and what is going on in Iraq can now be characterized as civil war.

On that evening's Countdown, Keith Olbermann chimed in, suggesting that NBC's pronouncement was comparable to Walter Cronkite's 1968 declaration that the Vietnam War was lost.

Although NBC, without fanfare, stopped using the "civil war" term sometime beginning in September, 2007, it has never--despite the success of the surge and the marked decrease in sectarian violence--declared the civil war over. Could today be the day?  NBC's parent company, General Electric, has signed a deal with Iraq worth billions of dollars to it and Siemens for the provision of electric generation equipment.

So, what is it? Is GE venturing into a civil-war zone, or has the time, finally, come for NBC to admit the civil war is over?


Comments Policy

All comments are owned by whoever posted them and are subject to our terms of use. They should not be assumed to represent the views of NewsBusters.

Viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

After careful

September 29, 2008 - 16:10 ET by BD

After careful consideration, NBC News has decided the change in terminology is warranted and what is going on in Iraq can now be characterized as civil war.....Is GE venturing into a civil-war zone, or has the time, finally, come for NBC to admit the civil war is over?

In a related story GE allows NBC to report the following:

1.)  Man flies heavier their air aircraft at Kitty Hawk North Carolina.

2.)  US forces successfully storm ashore on Omaha and Utah Beaches following successful night air assult.

3.)  The Eagle hads landed - US astronauts walk on the moon.

 

GE in Iraq, must be Bush's fault

September 29, 2008 - 16:44 ET by Lame Cherry

I lay complete blame on George Bush in forcing GE to gain profits to pay liberals millions of dollars in salaries so millionaire Barack Obama can make greater investment profits in his Marxist cabal embezzling money through groups like ACORN.

GE was perfectly content being impoverished to only billions and making Brian Williams suffer. They laid off dinosaur Brokaw and I will bet that buddy David Letterman had to buy his teenie weenies for his cocktails.

All this success is George Bush's fault since he booted that closet Obama boy Colin Powell out in his asinine policies and started enacting Condi Rice's.

Now those prosperous Iraqi's, remember we KNOW IRAQ IS PROSPERING, because the messiah hisself said Iraq had a surplus now due to Bush policies, will have fine GE American made electronics to make their lives better.

All Bush's fault, now if Bush could loose his liberal economic policy in America this nation could be bringing GE good things to life in impoverished Chicago's South Side.

Hmmm wonder who get the credit for the good times in Chicago, maybe the community organizer Obama who had more people in prison than Cuba.

 

 

 

*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS

A change of sides

September 29, 2008 - 16:51 ET by oilcan

Guess GE figured out that its investments in doing business with Iran weren't working in overthrowing the provisional government of Iraq. So, it's better late than never to hedge their bets and sign up to do business with the winning Iraqi team.

Oh isn't this

September 29, 2008 - 16:57 ET by bigtimer

Oh isn't this rich....

Their hypocrisy is just priceless...

Wonder if BOR is going to mention any of this...since we know NBC/msnbc won't be.

Are any of the talking heads on these shows going to thank the President, Gen.Petraeus, and especially the military?

Yeah, when pigs fly...

Speaking of pigs at the trough...hypocritical people all, they have to make money somehow, sure isn't the networks like msnbc. 

"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh

Money - the great leveler

September 29, 2008 - 19:23 ET by pocomoco

Yet another case of money trumping propaganda. I suspect that the Iraq reporting by NBC, CNBC, and MSNBC will now become more congenial.

Hold on for a minute there Skippy!

September 29, 2008 - 20:32 ET by JWF

  Is you sayin' it wus not a Walter Conkrite moment?

  Now I am 'fused again.

  You do realize this would not be good for Keith's career, right? 

  Can you feel the icey shards of frosty sarcasm hanging from the ceiling?

Sincerely,

a Veteran of a 1000 psychic wars.

Open letter to GE and NBC execs

September 29, 2008 - 21:25 ET by wdhorning

Your portfolio in the toilet?

Blame it on Democrats:

http://election.news...

WE BRING GOOD THINGS TO LIFE...

September 30, 2008 - 04:02 ET by danybhoy

This story will never see the light of day, unless Bill O'Reilly does it. He is litterally the only person covering GE's stock fall. I will never buy another GE product if I can avoid it ever again. Don't care if it's only a lightbulb, screw GE & their 2-face crap. All of their gov't should be reviewed as well, before they get any new contracts. If this means a foreign company gets the deal, oh well.

Bottom line, GE has sucked since Jack Welch left.

 

"...it's still We The People, Right?"  Megadeth 

Haliburton anyone????  I

September 30, 2008 - 08:57 ET by Utherpend

Haliburton anyone????

 I guess you can't be a greedy corporate pig if you are a liberal Dem organization.