Gold Star Status Not Newsworthy
Bush, meeting with Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission, puts some heat on Congress to stop playing politics with the war and lives of American soldiers.*
AP, in full Bush-bash mode, leaves it to the 15th graph to mention the salient detail that these are the mothers, fathers, brothers, sister, sons and daughters of American soldiers killed in Iraq. In the Guardian’s version, there is no mention of the fact that they are in DC to lobby in support of the war. It was buried in the version I saw. Anyone care to speculate how high up the bereaved Gold Star mom status would be mentioned if the parties in question believed Bush lied, their son died?
Here the AP, in a highly slanted news story that lacks an analysis tag, says the al-Sadr bloc’s withdrawal from al-Maliki’s cabinet raises “fears al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army militia might again confront American troops.”
Fears? Try hopes. The danger, when Sunni insurgents are coming to their senses or being isolated and killed, is that the Iranian-controlled Mahdi Army might live to fight another day.
The AP takes heart in al-Sadr’s ploy, swallowing his message uncritically and welcoming it as another sign of a groundswell for a US troop pullout. Fails to include al-Sadr’s call for attacks on Americans last week.
Given that AP in Baghdad has actually done some ground-breaking work on the Mahdi Army’s deepening relationship with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, it is nothing short of astonishing the word “Iran” does not appear in this article, nor the fact that al-Sadr is believed to be a guest there, or the very strong likelihood that Iran is influencing his actions. In fact, the whole thing reads like Sadrist propaganda, not least in its conclusion that Sadr’s action will underscore al-Maliki’s dependence on the Americans. I’d suggest it may well prove his lack of dependence on al-Sadr.
Excuse me, I need to hunt around and find some coverage of this that doesn’t suck as much as this does.
Reuters, somewhat more useful, with views on what al-Sadr is up to. Also mentions al-Sadr’s possible location in Iran.
NYT includes interesting detail from a senior al-Sadr aide that he wants the U.S. out in two years, and must ensure Iraq has a strong military and police before leaving. That makes al-Sadr more reasonable that the Democratic leadership in Congress.
WaPo notes that al-Sadr held back the Mahdi Army in hopes it would encourage the U.S. to go away.
* Gateway brings us Reuters with maintenance cutbacks already in the pipeline thanks to Dem leadership.
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 9:48 pm on Monday, April 16, 2007
10 Responses to “Gold Star Status Not Newsworthy”
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April 16th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
Playing politics?
I think it’s the real deal.
Bush’s little political theater in Iraq is even losing the support of Republcans in Congress.
Guess they figured out that the neocons aren’t gonna be around in a few months.
April 16th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
“Fears? Try hopes. The danger, when Sunni insurgents are coming to their senses or being isolated and killed, is that the Iranian-controlled Mahdi Army might live to fight another day.”
Exactly. The best possible outcome for the U.S. is that al-Sadr comes out to fight head-on. Sadly, I don’t think he’s that stupid.
April 16th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
While the MSM does its best to pull us out of the Middle East, Iran’s natural enemies in the region turn to nuclear weapons as a necessary defense. I think Bush knows this but is helpless to act in the face of waning public will. Our children will look back on this when Islamic Fascism has grown into an existential threat and ask why we didn’t take care of business when we had the opportunity.
April 16th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Well, we lost the crusades, andrew.
April 17th, 2007 at 12:10 am
Well, Sadr was kind enough to open up 6 ministerial positions for Maliki. Maybe Sadr will be goaded into direct confrontation. The bastard earned a bullet between his eyes years ago.
April 17th, 2007 at 1:07 am
Is there any evil which the ant doesn’t embrace? And all for the attention. Pathetic.
April 17th, 2007 at 2:14 am
How many more people have to die before the theocons accept what is obvious to everyone else: They’ve turned Iraq into a Shiite-led Islamic theocracy.
Nothing we do now can change that.
April 17th, 2007 at 7:10 am
My first reaction to al-Sadr pulled his ministers? GOOD!!! Obviously the “political solution” wasn’t working quite so well with these guys standing in the way of progress.
God bless the troops, and God bless the Iraqi people. May freedom come to all those who are willing to fight for it.
April 17th, 2007 at 10:22 am
The media-blogs honorably excepted-have been ignoring pro-war gold star parents for some time.
If there were any justice in the world men like Gary Reese Sr. would have their voices heard.
April 17th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
What? Are you suggesting pro-war gold star parents have as much “moral authority” as anti-war, anti-American parents like Cindy Sheehan? [/sarc]
Whatever happened to St. Mother, anyway?