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Pentagon Propaganda: So Much Worse Than We Thought ?

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by T-Mac1, Apr 27, 2008.

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  1. T-Mac1

    T-Mac1 Member

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    The Bush Administration has spent millions on deceptive PR to sell the war, as recently documented in the New York Times. Where's the fallout?

    David Barstow of the New York Times has written the first installment in what is already a stunning exposé of the Bush Administration's most powerful propaganda weapon used to sell and manage the war on Iraq: the embedding of military propagandists directly into the TV networks as on-air commentators. We and others have long criticized the

    widespread TV network practice of hiring former military officials to serve as analysts, but even in our most cynical moments we did not anticipate how bad it was. Barstow has painstakingly documented how these analysts, most of them military industry consultants and lobbyists, were directly chosen, managed, coordinated and given their talking points by the Pentagon's ministers of propaganda.

    Thanks to the two-year investigation by the New York Times, we today know that Victoria Clarke, then the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, launched the Pentagon military analyst program in early 2002. These supposedly independent military analysts were in fact a coordinated team of pro-war propagandists, personally recruited by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and acting under Clarke's tutelage and development.

    One former participant, NBC military analyst Kenneth Allard, has called the effort "psyops on steroids." As Barstow reports, "Internal Pentagon documents repeatedly refer to the military analysts as 'message force multipliers' or 'surrogates' who could be counted on to deliver administration 'themes and messages' to millions of Americans 'in the form of their own opinions.' … Don Meyer, an aide to Ms. Clarke, said a strategic decision was made in 2002 to make the analysts the main focus of the public relations push to construct a case for war."

    Clarke and her senior aide, Brent T. Krueger, eventually signed up more than 75 retired military officers who penned newspaper op/ed columns and appeared on television and radio news shows as military analysts. The Pentagon held weekly meetings with the military analysts, which continued as of April 20, 2008, when the New York Times ran Barstow's story. The program proved so successful that it was expanded to issues besides the Iraq War. "Other branches of the

    administration also began to make use of the analysts. Mr. Gonzales, then the attorney general, met with them soon after news leaked that the government was wiretapping terrorism suspects in the United States without warrants, Pentagon records show. When David H. Petraeus was appointed the commanding general in Iraq in January 2007, one of his early acts was to meet with the analysts."

    Barstow spent two years digging, using the Freedom of Information Act and attorneys to force the Bush Administration to release some 8,000 pages of documents now under lock and key at the New York Times. This treasure trove should result in additional stories, giving them a sort of "Pentagon Papers" of Iraq war propaganda.

    In 1971, when the Times printed excerpts of the Pentagon Papers on its front page, it precipitated a constitutional showdown with the Nixon Administration over the deception and lies that sold the war in Vietnam. The Pentagon Papers issue dominated the news media back then. Today, however, Barstow's stunning report is being ignored by the most important news media in America -- TV news -- the source where most Americans, unfortunately, get most of their information.


    John Stauber is the Executive Director of the Center for Media and Democracy.



    http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/83541/

    :eek:
     
    #1 T-Mac1, Apr 27, 2008
  2. StupidMoniker

    StupidMoniker I lost a bet

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    I know that the last thing I want is the American people rallying behind a war effort. When does that ever lead to victory?
     
    #2 StupidMoniker, Apr 27, 2008
  3. lpbman

    lpbman Member

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    Yeah, if only the American people were more behind the war, the troops would try harder. Slackers.

    Or maybe we'd have won the war if the troops received some nice gift baskets with assorted cool shwag.
     
    #3 lpbman, Apr 27, 2008
  4. rocket3forlife2

    rocket3forlife2 Member

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    <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BwPRO3zObd8&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BwPRO3zObd8&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>



    I have been trying to tell people this for years.
     
    #4 rocket3forlife2, Apr 27, 2008
  5. T-Mac1

    T-Mac1 Member

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    Fox is pathetic ! too bad people are buying what they are selling !
     
    #5 T-Mac1, Apr 27, 2008
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2008
  6. rocket3forlife2

    rocket3forlife2 Member

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    partisan stupidity
     
    #6 rocket3forlife2, Apr 28, 2008
  7. SamFisher

    SamFisher Member

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    How have you personally rallied? Aside from BBS posting.
     
    #7 SamFisher, Apr 28, 2008
  8. glynch

    glynch Member

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    Yeah, the American people are so stupid and gutless.
    According to the neo-cons the American people need to be lied to or they will never fight in wars to defend their way of life. Only the elite neo-cons are qualified to make the decisions to start wars and run the propaganda game to fool the people.

    Does anyone actually think that the TV stations who ran the biased military analysts will run the story? Fat chance.
     
    #8 glynch, Apr 28, 2008
    Last edited: Apr 28, 2008
  9. StupidMoniker

    StupidMoniker I lost a bet

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    I vote for candidates that are behind the war, like McCain, and against candidates that want to give up and run away, like Obama and Clinton.
     
    #9 StupidMoniker, Apr 28, 2008
  10. SamFisher

    SamFisher Member

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    So the answer is nothing. Nice rally!
     
    #10 SamFisher, Apr 28, 2008
  11. StupidMoniker

    StupidMoniker I lost a bet

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    Nice to know that you don't believe in democracy. :p
     
    #11 StupidMoniker, Apr 28, 2008
  12. BMoney

    BMoney Member

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    You are under 35 right? Go immediately to a recruiting office and sign up to participate in this war(s) you want to keep going. It's easy to be Mr. Patriot when you support having other people getting their asses blown off so you can feel good about your country. If winning this war is truly the be-all, end-all strategic imperative you think it is you would have to be a complete and utter hypocrite to think somebody else should look after it. Go sign up.
     
    #12 BMoney, Apr 28, 2008
  13. mc mark

    mc mark Member

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    Sorry BMoney, StupidMoniker has a well rehearsed rebuttal to your challenge.
     
    #13 mc mark, Apr 28, 2008
  14. StupidMoniker

    StupidMoniker I lost a bet

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    I'm working toward being a JAG lawyer. I didn't get an offer for my first summer, but was invited to apply again for next summer, which I plan to do.
     
    #14 StupidMoniker, Apr 29, 2008
  15. lalala902102001

    lalala902102001 Member

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    Let's offer this man a position in FOX:

    [​IMG]


    He'd fit right in.
     
    #15 lalala902102001, Apr 29, 2008
  16. lalala902102001

    lalala902102001 Member

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    BTW, I do think that the situation in Iraq is better than what it was a couple of years ago. I just don't propagandas in the news.
     
    #16 lalala902102001, Apr 29, 2008
  17. BMoney

    BMoney Member

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    Wow. "Working" on being a JAG lawyer sure is helping out the cause of freedom. You hear that troops? We might have another JAG lawyer! Victory here we come!

    You impugn the patriotism of all sorts of people, but when it comes down to it, you're sacrifice is going to college while asking your fellow Americans to stay on fighting indefinitely. Put your freedom where your mouth is- go serve in Iraq, or Afghanistan and finish school later. Do you think those troops on their third, or fourth tour of duty don't want to finish their education? What about them? Pat Tillman gave up millions of dollars, an NFL career and ultimately his life and he *never* went after people's patriotism like you do all of the time. Stop being a coward and just admit that you want other people to fight in your place.
     
    #17 BMoney, Apr 29, 2008
  18. weslinder

    weslinder Member

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    Dude, seriously, quit being an ass. God knows that with our troops in the situation that they're in, they need the best representation that they can get. If someone wants to serve in protecting our troops from going to jail for their commanders' actions, they are a hero in my book. (I have to assume with my view from 10000 miles and the political climate that there is a lot of that.)

    (All of that is subject to the caveat that all lawyers are scum.)
     
    #18 weslinder, Apr 29, 2008
  19. BMoney

    BMoney Member

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    A hero? Do you know what that word means? Listen to yourself. You can't polish a turd. If you support an indefinite war and are calling out the patriotism of other people who want to end that war, then "wanting to become a JAG lawyer" is not enough. Believe me, there are plenty of lawyers. We do have a shortage of people serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
     
    #19 BMoney, Apr 29, 2008
  20. SamFisher

    SamFisher Member

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    Stupidmoniker was regaling the BBS with tales of his LSAT's last year - unless there is a one-year law school anywhere in the country, which I do not know of - he wouldn't practice in the JAG Corps until 2010, at the earliest. What he is claiming here is that he applied and been turned down from their summer internship program - odd considering that he is apparently a legal prodigy from his LSAT score, which would seemingly open up the gates of a lucrative $3,000/week summer associateship at a large law firm, if true. One wonders....

    FISHINESS IS SMELTED
     
    #20 SamFisher, Apr 29, 2008
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