Beware the Bearers of 'Good News'
by Meteor Blades
Thu Oct 16, 2003 at 10:40:43 PM PDT
Thanks to Billmon for weaving some of these threads together.
These Republican daytrippers to Iraq remind of the solidarity brigades that once visited Soviet Russia or Cuba, their ideological blinders shielding them from "flaws" as effectively as any misdirection by their secret police-connected tour guides.
On returning from a trip to Iraq and Afghanistan, a group of Senate Republicans said yesterday that the Bush administration deserves a lot more credit for successful reconstruction efforts in those war-torn nations.For crying out loud, Tom, it’s Dubyanocchio’s Administration. Assume nada.
Meanwhile, several Senate Democrats complained that they were denied access to a plane for an inspection tour of their own.
"For whatever reason, Sens. [Chris] Dodd [D-Conn.] and others who requested the opportunity to travel were prohibited from doing so, and I think that requires a better explanation that the one I’ve been given so far," Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) said.
"We have no understanding. We were told that an [Air Force] airplane was not available," adding that Britain offered them the use of an airplane. "If Britain can offer United States senators an airplane, you would think the United States government could do so as well."
Daschle added: "We have to assume that what [Republican senators] saw is accurate."
In recent days, the Bush administration has launched a campaign to blame the news media for portraying the situation in Iraq in a negative light. Last week, Bush described the military spirit as high and said that life in Iraq is "a lot better than you probably think. Just ask people who have been there."And while a lot of soldiers are griping about the situation, and wondering if their next residence will be a bodybag or the amputee ward, a Texas Republican apparently got her brain switched off from too much exposure to Condi’s Cheerleading Squad:
But Stars and Stripes raised questions about what those visiting dignitaries saw in Iraq. "Many soldiers -- including several officers -- allege that VIP visits from the Pentagon and Capitol Hill are only given hand-picked troops to meet with during their tours of Iraq," the newspaper said in its interview with Sanchez. "The phrase 'Dog and Pony Show' is usually used. Some troops even go so far as to say they've been ordered not to talk to VIPs because leaders are afraid of what they might say."
Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) had just returned home from a government-sponsored tour of Iraq when she appeared on Fox News to comment on Sunday's car bombing in Baghdad. Proving she's a good listener, she insisted that the suicide attack was actually good news. How's that? Speaking of the American nation-building effort, she explained, "As it's working, there are more incidents like this, from people who don't want it to work." By that inverted logic, of course, it would be bad news if there were fewer bombings.Did I read that right? Fox News? The President’s favorite filter?
But then, undercutting Granger's case, the interviewer noted that Granger and her fellow visitors had not actually stayed overnight in Iraq while they were visiting the country; each night, they were flown back to Kuwait, some 400 miles south of Baghdad. One might think for a moment about the implications of such a long-distance commute. If all the American security in Iraq can't make Iraq secure for VIPs, then maybe Iraq isn't so secure.
These Republican daytrippers to Iraq remind of the solidarity brigades that once visited Soviet Russia or Cuba, their ideological blinders shielding them from "flaws" as effectively as any misdirection by their secret police-connected tour guides.
- ::
Permalink | 50 comments