General to NB: Blogs Incredibly Important, Americans Should Support, Provide for Troops

Blogs such as NewsBusters are an "incredibly important" news medium whose influence will only continue to grow, a senior U.S. military official said today. Speaking from Baghdad, Major General William Caldwell, senior military spokesman in Iraq, made the remarks in the course of a conference call with bloggers in which this NewsBuster participated.

Said MG Caldwell in closing remarks: "Thanks for what you all do. I've just been amazed. I had no idea ten months ago what an incredible addition you all are in helping tell what's going on and providing information. You're an incredibly important news medium, that from what I've seen is just growing in importance from last May until now, and will only continue to do in the future."

Caldwell also commented on the impact on the morale of US troops in Iraq of the current congressional debate. As MRC's Brent Baker has noted, there have been conflicting MSM reports on the attitudes of US troops on the ground.

Said Caldwell: "Everybody here is listening to the debate in Washington. People ask us, how is the debate affecting moral over here? I tell people that our troops know what's at stake in Iraq and they also know that the American people supports their efforts here. They're doing their mission, doing what they've been asked to do by our government. And the thing that our troops need most is is the continued support of the American people -- that's really key. That's a part that the American people can play -- to continue to support these men and women and the civilians that are over here working, and to ensure also that the resources needed to accomplish this mission are available to them."

Mark was in Iraq in November. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net