Media Ignore Bipartisan Criticism Of Iraq Policies, Claim ‘A Parade Of Dems’ ‘Pounced’ On Petraeus

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/09/media-iraq-hearings/

Media Ignore Bipartisan Criticism Of Iraq Policies, Claim ‘A Parade Of Democrats’ ‘Pounced’ On Petraeus


A number of media outlets characterized yesterday’s Senate hearings on the situation in Iraq and the future of U.S. policy there as a confrontation between Democrats and Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker.

The headline to the Los Angeles Times’s article on the hearings read “Petraeus, Democrats square off,” despite the fact that the actual report noted that “Republcans questioned Petraeus’ strategy with equal vigor.” But others all but ignored Republican criticism of President Bush’s Iraq policy and statements from Petraeus and Crocker altogether:

– New York Times: “Both General Petraeus and Mr. Crocker faced sharp questioning from Democrats who sounded increasingly exasperated.”

– Chicago Tribune: “Democrats peppered Petraeus and Crocker with tough questions about the Iraqi government’s performance and its continued heavy reliance on its American benefactors.”

– Associated Press: “Petraeus was told by a parade of Democrats that, after five years of war, it was past time to turn over much more of the war burden to the Iraqis.”

– CNN’s Campbell Brown: Petraeus’s recommendation to “leave about 140,000 U.S. troops in Iraq for an undetermined period of time” after July “didn’t sit well with Democrats.”

– NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski: “Democrats quickly pounced” on Petraeus’s recommendation to pause troop withdrawals after July.

However, statements from a number of Republican senators during yesterday’s hearings undermine these characterizations. For example:

snip//

At some point, the media will realize the American public, Democrats, AND Republicans have all turned sour on the war in Iraq.

[Quantess]

1. Our media is a joke.

Bought & sold to the highest bidder.

[Supersedeas]

2. one wonders whether the establishment Media is as responsible for this divided country as Bushists

are -- the filthy of the Establishment media reeks of Bushist complicity

[babylonsister]

3. I don't wonder at all, and one of Bill Moyers' programs really

highlighted their complicity from the get-go where invading Iraq was concerned. Too bad so few 'journalists' took it to heart.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. WOW we now have a veto proof majority in the Senate

WHO KNEW?

[EFerrari]

5. We all need to get busy with election protection.

No one will do it for us.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Of course, in fact I expect McCain to win and for them to steal both

the house and the senate....

But that's just me....

And so many folks don't take that seriously, starting with THOSE IN OFFICE

[EFerrari]

7. Politicians have no reason to take clean elections seriously.

Their advisers are too busy trying to figure out if they can work the angles.

[librechik]

8. Poor defenseless Petraeus--gee, if he can't defend himself against those Dem wusses

how can he be doing so well against the terrorists???

I smell something fishy!!!

[babylonsister]

9. Yes, it's called the corporate media pushing their agenda. Must

be nice for Petraeus to have them on his side. :eyes:

[snot]

10. It freaks me out that anyone here still imagines the existing media are

somehow going to wake up and start reporting reality. They're not; they are the living dead; they are owned.

There will be no change in media coverage until we get change in media ownership.

[samsingh]

11. our media is a stupid propogation machine

that is spreading proposhita that even the elites are souring on