7/30 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/opinion/30pollack.html
A War We Just Might Win
Never expected that title on the nytimes op-ed page.
\_ Are you high? The NyTimes has been shilling for this clusterfuck
since before it started (c.f. Judith Miller onwards). See
Glenn Greenwald for a good response to this shite:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/07/30/brookings
\_ The constant leaking of secret memos underminig the war is what
has led me to that opinion, not anything that might make me high.
-op
\_ What's different here is that Kenneth M. Pollack is not
usually a hawk or a fan of current policy in Iraq. Cf. his
article on Securing the Gulf in Foreign Affairs magazine.
(Easily Googleable.) That said, this op-ed remains at odds
with most of what you read from my man, Juan Cole. -!pp
\_ One of the main responsibilities of The Press in a
democracy is to keep the people informed about what their
government is doing, Bush Administration claims to be able
to classify everything under the sun notwithstanding.
\_ It is one thing to say we have secret prisons, it is
another to announce which countries they're in causing
diplomatic problems and yet another to print the tail
numbers of the planes which puts lives at risk for no
reason. There are degrees to things. Mindlessly printing
everything just because you can is irresponsible. The
story can get out without details that can get people
killed.
\_ Announcing which countries they were in was precisely
the correct thing to do. The govt. that sanctioned the
prisons was not about to abandon the project or admit
wrongdoing; political pressure from other govts. is a
a fine and measured response. Printing the tail
numbers of the planes bespeaks a greater problem than
merely negligence of journalistic integrity: it says we
do not have people in the intel business who know how
to carry out illicit operations. I don't know about you,
but that level of incompetence scares the hell out of
me. Best not to be conducting black ops in foreign
countries, I suppose, but at least have the decency not
to get caught.
\_ So you think all the journalists who were aware of
various activities over the last umtpeen decades
should have published everything they discovered just
as a 'lesson' to our intel agencies? Wacky.
\_ You are responding to someone different than the
pp, btw. I personally think everything except the
tail numbers was fine, because when first
confronted with the accusations, the WH response
was to deny and stonewall, remember? Publishing
the countries added veracity to the charges.
Putting CIA agents life at risk was stepping
over the line, imho, but not illegal.
over the line, imho, but not illegal. Good job
changing the topic from the NYTs constant pre-war
cheerleading to the Freeper talking points though,
I congratulate you on your verbal judo.
\_ WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION! DUBYA EMM DEEEES!!!!
\_ I'm ok with publishing about foreign prisons.
I'm not entirely ok with naming foreign
countries as that can create a bigger mess
than the prisons themselves and I don't think
the media has the brains required to figure
out when publishing can do more damage than
the thing they're reporting on. I'm entirely
not ok with tail numbers. There is absolutely
no reason for that. It isn't news. I didn't
comment either way on whether it is legal or
not. I think it is stupid whether or not it
is legal and it is not newsworthy or fit to
print, as they say. BTW, I came into this
a few posts after we left the NYT pre-war
reporting behind so I can't take credit for
the direction of the thread to where we are
now.
\_ The government should have admitted what
they were doing. When the government
denies denies denies you have to step up
the level of proof. If the people in charge
had actually stepped up and said, yes, we
are doing this, then you wouldn't have seen
as much details in the papers.
\_ So anything a reporter finds out and
publishes, the government should just
go ahead and spill the whole story even
if it puts American and allied lives
at risk. Whatever.
\_ Setting aside the plane numbers,
explain to me how exposing the illegal
kidnapping program put American and
allied lives at risk.
\_ In general, the government is
accountable to The People, yes. I know
for some reason the GOP has lost sight
of this fundamental principle, but I
still hold out hope that the "small
government" types will regain control
of their party.
\_ Uh, no. The whole point of
the R party is to preach
COMMUNITY and SELF RELIANCE.
Localized interest for
greater good. You liburals
just don't get it.
\_ No, the R party is based on
large national debts.
\_ I would say we are 95%+ in agreement.
\_ Compare Pollock's parroting of the official line with statements
from the general who is actually training the Iraqi troops:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0727/p01s01-wome.html |
http://csua.com/feed/