Right Hand, Left Hand
We don’t use propaganda, Donald Rumsfeld would have us believe, it just happens. Well-meaning contractors working in Iraq are putting stories in the local media there without identifying the content as coming from the U.S. military. I’m not at all surprised that the Pentagon would have a hand in news reports in Iraq, despite any lip service paid to a free and independent media being integral to democratic efforts there. I’m even sort of gratified that we’re at least paying for the column space. What does surprise me, even if it shouldn’t, is how intent the Bush administration is on treating the matter as it does other scandals, with a cover-up. Claiming ignorance, Rummy says he doesn’t know how it started, if it’s being done “in accordance with policy,” and the Pentagon chimes in similarly. What nonsense. Of course you knew: it was your idea. These are just stalling tactics. If the government would run its Iraq operations openly, there’d be no scandals. O.k., yes, there would still be scandals; the press is easily scandalized. At least they wouldn’t be these hand-in-the-cookie-jar it-wasn’t-me lying scandals. Cover-ups. You’d think the GOP would’ve learned something after Nixon.