The Seattle-Post Intelligencer admits today that it distorted the words of Rep. George Nethercutt. (see yesterday's entry for context)
Let's concede that Nethercutt believes the death of U.S. soldiers is, heaven forbid, awful.Yes, the progress we're making in rebuilding Iraq -- saving Iraqi lives, giving Iraqis a more decent life, ridding Iraq of the horrendous Baathist regime, ultimately making the region and our country more secure -- is a bigger story than the tragic losses we suffer along the way....
Consider, again, the quote in question -- fleshed out a bit more.
"The story of what we have done in the postwar period ... is remarkable," Nethercutt said, because the coalition has been rebuilding power plants, police stations, schools and other infrastructure, as well as taking early steps toward self-governance. "So the story is better than we might be led to believe in the news. I'm indicting the news people. It's a bigger and better and more important story than losing a couple of soldiers every day, which, which, heaven forbid, is awful."
A bigger and better story? Thank you, George, for clarifying your callow, shallow position.
The P-I, forced to admit that they misreported and distorted Nethercutt's remarks, are reduced to playground-style name-calling. "callow, shallow position"? What is callow and shallow about Nethercutt's position? I have no idea and the P-I doesn't begin to explain.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at October 29, 2003 08:50 AMI'm guessing that the P-I's editorial writer thinks "callow" means "callous." Besides this probable ignorance, this would be one of the most shameful episodes in recent American journalism if it were unique. Unfortunately, we've already seen the same thing with Maureen Dowd; we're seeing it with the propagation of the "imminent" myth regarding Pres. Bush's claims about Saddam's danger. The left-wing media aren't distorting things accidentally. They're establishing a new limit in the liberties they allow themselves in order to advance their agendas.
Posted by: David on October 29, 2003 10:48 AMHaving been caught in a journalistic fraud the P-I practices Clintonian evasion. In reality it is the P-I that really does not care about the lives of the men liberating and building a new Iraq. They are just using their deaths to promote their political agenda, an agenda that is entirely different from that of the brave men who are putting their lives on the line. The P-I wants them to have died in vain. Their attitude is disgusting.
Imagine, Patty Murray isn't even leaping to the defense of US forces who are doing all the things in Iraq that she claimed Osama was doing that made him so popular. Of course the P-I praised her inane obersvation.
Posted by: Merv Benson on October 29, 2003 12:49 PM