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Bush’s man at the New York Times

munaeem | 29 December, 2006 02:48

After the WMD fiasco, the ailing paper continues to spread White House propaganda, says alexander cockburn

T here is no task more important for any newspaper than to impart the news convincingly that a war is lost or futile or wrong.

The failure of America's major newspapers in 2005 and 2006 to disclose the US's defeat in Iraq has been as disastrous as their earlier failure to challenge the government on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

Because of former New York Times reporter Judy Miller's high profile in the WMD fabrications, the Times' chief military correspondent, Michael Gordon, has garnered little of the criticism he richly deserves.

Having co-written with Miller the infamous aluminum tubes-for-nukes story of September 8, 2002, that mightily assisted the administration in its push to war, Gordon has, as a careful reading of his reports suggests,

strongly pushed his own agenda in his recent reports on Iraq, so much so as to provide a significantly misleading picture of the situation on the ground there.

In the latter part of 2006 he became an influential journalistic agitator for a "surge" in troop strength. On September 11, in a story under the headline, "Grim Outlook Seen in West Iraq Without More Troops and Aid", Gordon cited a senior officer in Iraq saying more American troops were necessary to stabilise Anbar.

Another Gordon story on October 22 emphasised that "the sectarian violence [in Baghdad] would be far worse if not for American efforts..." There were of course plenty of Iraqis and some Americans Gordon could also have found, eager to say the exact opposite.

Immediately after the November 7 mid-term elections, when Democrat John Murtha - an advocate of immediate withdrawal - was running for the post of House majority leader in the new Democrat-controlled Congress, Gordon rushed out two stories, which were both front-paged by the New York Times. In the first dispatch, November 14, headed "Get Out Now? Not So Fast, Some Experts Say" Gordon sought out the now-retired General Anthony Zinni (right) and others, who "say the situation in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq is too precarious to start thinning out the number of American troops".

The next day, November 15, 2006, a second Gordon story was headlined, "General Warns of Risks in Iraq if GIs Are Cut". Gordon cited General Abizaid's warnings that phased withdrawal of troops would lead to an increase in sectarian violence, and that more troops might be necessary temporarily. These stories undoubtedly helped to doom Murtha's bid.

By December 4, with the Iraq Study Group about to issue its report, Gordon returned to General Zinni, writing favourably of the latter's plan for a temporary increase of troops to offset Iranian influence, suggesting that any precipitate would destabilize Middle East and leave Iraq in chaos.

On December 7, Gordon was at it again,

flailing away at Baker and Hamilton's report. Headline: "Will it Work on the Battlefield?" Lead: "The military recommendations issued yesterday by the Iraq Study Group are based more on hope than history and run counter to assessments made by some of its own military advisors."

Precipitous withdrawal, Gordon charged, would leave Iraqi armed forces unprepared to take over security burden. Reporters with a propaganda mission can always find the mouthpieces to say what they want. Gordon's "troop surge" campaign was particularly striking - and politically much more influential in Congress than the mad-dog ravings of the right-wing broadcasters.

Politicians will always be reluctant to accept the facts of life. They yearn for light at the end of the tunnel. The press's duty is to tell them that there is no light amid the darkness, that quitting time has come. That takes courage and intelligence.

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UGANDAN-COMMUNITY IN VANCOUVER WESTERN CANADA. | 29/12/2006, 08:10

Wonderful Website: we are Ugandans-muslims as well canadian citizens. wish all muslim Brothers &.sister A happy EID-AL-ADHA. & Prosperous new year 2007. every one can Add our website: in to their Favourite. Wasalamu Aleikum Warahmatu lahi. peace.

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munaeem | 29/12/2006, 11:32

Thanks, Brother

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