Posted on 08/10/2007 6:15:08 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
With the success of the surge in Iraq becoming more evident with each passing day, a new ailment has gripped the Mainstream Media and the liberals: Surge Derangement Sydrome (SDS). The earliest known case of SDS occurred on April 23 when Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, responded to a question by CNN's congressional correspondent Dana Bash of whether he would believe General David Petraeus if he reported that the "so-called surge" is working:
REID: No, I don't believe him, because it's not happening. All you have to do is look at the facts.
Well, as we do look at the facts that the surge is working, the MSM and the liberals are showing more signs of severe SDS. Some of these SDS signs have been noted in the August 9 edition of Investor's Business Daily, 'Surge' Critics Perhaps Were Bit Premature:
Do Democratic opposition leaders keep blaming each other for voting for the Iraq War? Or are they now talking about expanding military operations to other countries?
Sen. Hillary Clinton once was damned for voting to authorize the war in Iraq. But her even-more-liberal rival Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., now expresses his own willingness to invade nuclear Islamic Pakistan.
...we have heard from the House's majority whip, Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. He's worried that Gen. Petraeus' good news about the surge might be "a real problem for us" — "us" being anti-war Democrats. And at a congressional briefing, when Gen. Jack Keane reviewed the positive signs from the surge, Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Kan., walked out on the testimony.
She complained that there was "only so much that you could take . . . after so much of the frustration of having to listen to what we listened to."
The SDS symptoms in the media have ranged from shock to feigned apathy, both of which examples were chronicled yesterday by NewBusters Senior Editor Tim Graham. In the category of SDS shock is the stunned reaction on Wednesday of CNN American Morning anchor John Roberts when he heard Senator Dick Durbin state that there is military progress in Iraq:
But hold on. Let me back you up there. You said you did see military progress?
When Durbin confirmed that there was military progress with the caveat that there was little political improvement in Iraq, Roberts remained flustered:
I understand all of that. But Senator Durbin, everybody in the Democratic Party is saying that the surge has failed. Senator Casey, do you agree with your colleague that there are some signs of military progress here?
Unfortunately for Roberts, Senator Bob Casey was unable to ease his severe SDS with his confirmation that there was military progress in Iraq. In fact, Casey might have made Roberts' SDS even worse when he ridiculously suggested that now that the surge is working, it is time to change course from successful military policy in Iraq:
The problem here is that the President of the United States continues to insist on stay the course policy, no change in direction, no sense that the American people can determine that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. That's why I think there's a bipartisan agreement right now to change the course. I think the president should listen to the will of the American people.
In the feigned apathy category of SDS, we have the example of Matt Lauer. During his questioning of Senator John McCain on yesterday's Today Show, Lauer came up with this SDS gem:
There are some people who say, Senator, that the momentum, right now, in Congress is so strong to pull the troops out of Iraq that it doesn't matter what's in that report, in the middle of September from General Petraeus, or even in reports that follow that. Even if we start to change momentum in Iraq and start to see more success, the momentum in Congress is already so strong that it's unstoppable. How do you feel about that?
So now that the surge seems to be successful, Lauer is claiming that it doesn't really matter. His SDS is making him portray a successful surge as an obstacle to the liberal goal of leaving Iraq as quickly as possible. It is almost as if some commentator in 1944 stated that the successful landing in Normandy didn't matter. Of course, that didn't happen because no one suffered the equivalent of SDS in 1944.
What is the future prognosis for this severe ailment among the left? SDS will most likely continue to worsen until it reaches a fever pitch when General Petraeus makes his report to Congress on the progress of the surge in September. Shock, anger, and feigned apathy will be among its many symptoms as SDS takes its toll among the left.
Another example...I’m listening to Laura Ingraham who was replaying a Couric segment from last night I guess. Couric starts off with one of their reporters (David Martin?) by saying “Obviously, things are not going well in Iraq....”
What in the world????
The report by Martin, by the way, is unintelligible, so we never get to hear what he has to say in response to that remarkable assertion by Couric.
military, wot, iraq, mediabias
SDS or just spin control....my bet is that whatever General Petraeus reports the MSM and Democrat leaders will spin it to match their view that Iraq has been a failure and we should pull out. They have too much invested in their “get out of Iraq at any cost” position and by accepting any degree of success from the surge would give Bush some credit...something they are loath to do. They also have to placate their left wing base. The kooks like Cindy Sheehan and the Koz bloggers will not accept anything but a total defeat in Iraq.
We get some field mental hospitals ready for the surge of deranged leftwingers in September. We can start them on some light patriotic movies, moving up to Top Gun when they are almost ready to go home.
To paraphrase Shakespeare: “First, let’s kill all the reporters...”
Not advocating murder, but I believe 100% that the news media is bent on defeat, and defeat means dead Americans (my son is a Marine just returned from Al-Anbar). They want my son dead because it helps them politically.
They want us to lose. That makes them the enemy. What should we do with the enemy?
After watching the video of Durbin and Casey, I now have Skunk Derangement Syndrome.
Another example...I’m listening to Laura Ingraham who was replaying a Couric segment from last night I guess. Couric starts off with one of their reporters (David Martin?) by saying “Obviously, things are not going well in Iraq....”
What in the world????
The report by Martin, by the way, is unintelligible, so we never get to hear what he has to say in response to that remarkable assertion by Couric.
I heard this as well.
All violence in Iraq could end 5 minutes from now, and the dems and media would spin it as a crushing setback for the US and our military. Remember Cronkite and the Tet Offensive? We won it, but the media turned it into a defeat for our forces.
“We can start them on some light patriotic movies, moving up to Top Gun when they are almost ready to go home.”
F*** “Top Gun”. “Iwo Jima: 36 Days of Hell” would be much better. ;-) I wonder how many realize today that in those 36 days we lost twice as many men as we have in the entire Iraq war, including over 90% of some units.
If it must be Hollywood movies, make it “Saving Private Ryan” followed by “We Were Soldiers”.
My post #19 from “DUmmie FUnnies 07-31-07 (Shell Shocked By Surge Success)” is my term for it.
#19
“ISDD: Iraq Surge Despondency Disorder, a symptom and sub-affliction of BDS.”
SDD is a subset of SDS. Despondency is but one of the many symptoms of Surge Derangement Syndrome. As chronicled in this story, SDS can take the form of anger, shock, and feigned apathy. However, there are other symptoms of SDS, including despondency.
” I wonder how many realize today that in those 36 days we lost twice as many men as we have in the entire Iraq war, including over 90% of some units.”
My dad is a Normandy vet, Navy Medic, so he knows what really happened. He never talked much about that day, but during a discussion with our kids,where they brought up Saving Private Ryan , he told them that he saw the movie, and it shows the horror of war, but leaves out one key point.
It took 10+ assault waves until the beachhead was in a state that the troops could progress. The bodies in the water prevented the landing craft from making headway.
Flash forward to today, and the instant media.
Here’s what we would probably here in a live play by play.
Too many casualties, pull out now, not worth the price....
Fortunately those brave 20 year olds keep moving on.
My kids have never forgotten that discussion, and I’m proud to know that they understand what the “cost of freedom” is all about.
The Surge is Working on both Enemies of Iraq
Pray for W and Our Troops
At that point Gen. Keane should have stopped his testimony, sat back and waited. And when asked if he was through with his report he should have said "No I am not through. I just thought I should be a gentleman and wait until Rep. Pelosi returns from her break. I do not want her to miss anything important."
That's true of so many recent war movies. The implication is clear; that there is only loss in war and never gain. The destruction of the Nazi regime or Imperial Japan just doesn't measure up to such noble efforts as saving a tree or reducing one's carbon footprint.
The only potential benefit of their unjustified pacifism is that, if it ever came to blows with the rest of us, we can count on them rolling over at the first shot.
” if it ever came to blows with the rest of us, we can count on them rolling over at the first shot.”
Count me in on being there, and yes when the action starts their tails will tuck, and off they go to some safer place to complain about the inhumanity, brutality, etc....
The SDS is so apparently ludicrous that we have Dem senators claiming that Bush refuses to change the course JUST AFTER HE CHANGED THE COURSE!!! I know Dem pols, and most pols, are first and foremost political animals and giving credit to the opposition for anything is strictly verboten. But someone should ask Casey to examine the words he uttered and call into question his “logic” if not his sanity.
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