Talk about your inconvenient truth . . . Reporting from Baghdad this morning, and continuing a theme that MRC's Brent Baker spotted last evening, NBC Nightly News host Brian Williams let a cat out of the bag that could leave some serious scratch marks on MSM/DNC calls for stopping the surge and withdrawing US troops from Iraq. Williams said that US troops:
"are also aware, especially in the outposts, that it's the Iraqi people who are very reluctant to see the Americans go, because in many cases that's what's keeping the peace in town."
View video here.
Earlier,
and even on a day in which he reported on nine American troops having
been killed in two separate explosions, Williams also suggested that
the security situation in Iraq is improving in some aspects:
"Six [US troops killed] in Salahuddin province and three in Diyala province. But note what we're not reporting
this morning. We are not reporting another car bomb or suicide bomber,
IED has gone off in central Baghdad or in Sadr City, the usual locations where the sad drumbeat of news on morning's like this one normally comes from. This conflict is changing . . . We have a conflict where the tempo may be changing and we have pockets of new peace, but it is still a very dangerous war."
Whoops! Will Williams' observations make it out of NBC, into the MSM at large and onto Capitol Hill?
Mark was in Iraq in November. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
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Me thinks that your ealier re
March 6, 2007 - 11:29 ET by FastEdMe thinks that your ealier reporting, Mark, showed that what the msm (Lsm) HAD been "reporting" was, dare I say it here, biased? I'm also a sceptical cynic when it comes to the so called reporting by the msm. I prefer to get my news from REPORTERS, such as yourself, who report and don't editorilze their agenda.
Rather have bad news honestly reported then good news that's part of an agenda.
There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V
Reverse Walter Cronkite Moment
March 6, 2007 - 11:33 ET by P.J. GladnickWas this a Reverse Walter Cronkite Moment by Brian Williams?
Ol' Brian better be ready for
March 6, 2007 - 11:44 ET by GalvanicOl' Brian better be ready for a trip to the NMC News woodshed when he get back.
Ol' Brian better be ready for
March 6, 2007 - 11:44 ET by Galvanic(duplicate entry)
To Brian...Duh! You just f
March 6, 2007 - 11:45 ET by Tim the EnchanterTo Brian...Duh! You just figure this out?
Of course the Iraqis don't wa
March 6, 2007 - 12:40 ET by blarsenOf course the Iraqis don't want to see the Americans go. That would mean they would have to step up to the plate and start providing security for their own country. How long do we have to play big brother to them before they can TOTALLY defend themselves? We've been training them for this eventuality for the past four or more years. It's time for them to defend themselves.
If memory serves, it only too
March 6, 2007 - 13:41 ET by BruzillaIf memory serves, it only took us about 50 years to stabilize Europe enough to where they could defend themselves, and they supposedly had most of their collective "acts" together. We're also coming up on the 60th anniversary of having to help defend South Korea... another well-established government and military with its "act" together. So why is four years such an impossibly long time for a government that's just now getting its "act" in place?
Stabilizing Europe was more o
March 6, 2007 - 13:53 ET by blarsenStabilizing Europe was more of an economic plan than a peace keeping plan. We still maintain forces in South Korea. We didn't have any active fighting (to my knowledge-correct me if I'm wrong) in either country TO THE SAME DEGREE we have currently in Iraq.
Stabilizing Europe was not a
March 6, 2007 - 16:39 ET by BDStabilizing Europe was not a peace keeping plan? Better tell that to the members of the 11th ACR, 8th ID, 1 AD, 3AD, 2AD (FWD) 3ID, and sundry other units who monitored the "Grenze" back in the day....
Europe must not be stabiliz
March 6, 2007 - 16:53 ET by Tim the EnchanterEurope must not be stabilized yet, since we're still over there. Why aren't the libs complaining about that? How 'bout Kosovo? Haven't we been over there longer than we've been in Iraq? Answers, please.
How many TOTAL American lives
March 6, 2007 - 18:13 ET by blarsenHow many TOTAL American lives were lost in Kosovo? I'm guessing less than 100 or possible less than 50.
So we do things on a cost-plu
March 6, 2007 - 18:22 ET by BDSo we do things on a cost-plus basis?
We only do the easy things? (JFK is climbing out of his grave to come get you right now...)
And therefore we should never have fought WWII (425,000+ US KIA) because it was "costly."
specifically what did we "GAIN" from our efforts in Bosnia, Kosovo, Haiti, or Rwanda.
The cost (in American life) o
March 6, 2007 - 19:03 ET by blarsenThe cost (in American life) of "stabilizing" Iraq has been far greater than in Kosovo. As for your last question, it was the genocide that we stopped which was the main reason we were going after Saddam. What we gained in Kosovo is about what we'll gain in Iraq which is the liberation of a politically suppressed poplulation. The difference is the casualties are considerably higher in Iraq.
So, as posted before, we only
March 7, 2007 - 09:43 ET by BDSo, as posted before, we only do things on a Cost basis? THerefore WWII was a bad war because we lost significantly higher casualties than the Gulf War?
"How long do we have t
March 6, 2007 - 14:27 ET by ckc1227"How long do we have to play big brother to them before they can TOTALLY defend themselves?"
How long is a ball of string?
I'm sure logic isn't your strong point, but, have you ever considered that maybe they aren't defending themselves according to your(the great military mind, lol) timetable because they aren't able?
Now a question for you: How long do we have to play big brother to folks here at home before we demand that they start taking care of themselves? Seriously, we've been an independent nation for over 200 years, and we STILL don't encourage Americans to be responsible for their own lives. Seems like we should practice what you preach before casting stones at a government that is less than one year old.
Reminder: Don't forget to pay your taxes. 12 million illegal immigrants are counting on you.
I guess you're looking for an
March 6, 2007 - 14:57 ET by blarsenI guess you're looking for an answer to why do we the people care for recipients of government programs before they can start taking care of themselves. The problem with this analogy is that people benefiting from these programs are not planting IED's and blowing up our troops.
As far as your ball of string analogy goes, I would suggest that every ball of string has an eventual end and if they are not able to defend their country after four years of training, that is al-Maliki's problem to fix, not ours. We train American soldiers to be combat ready in six months or less. Why don't you answer your own question and tell me why the Iraqis
aren't able to put into place the training they've received from our troops regardless of the age of their government?
Ever since the MSM started tu
March 6, 2007 - 14:06 ET by dan708Ever since the MSM started turning against the war in Iraq, I've been wondering how these same people would've dealt with WW2, especially the Pacific Theatre. I could imagine the headlines:
"Idiocy on Iwo!"
"Mess-up at Midway!"
"Foul-up in the Philippines"