Rumsfeld, Sanchez Say Press Ignores Good News From Iraq

American Forces Press Service ^ | Sep 5, 2003 | Jim Garamone

[Spruce]

Rumsfeld, Sanchez Say Press Ignores Good News From Iraq

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Sept. 5, 2003 – American officials here took on the press for not reporting the "good news" coming out of Iraq.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld visited the headquarters of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division in Tikrit and the headquarters of the 101st Airborne Division in Mosul Sept. 5.

Following the visit, he held a press conference. He said that as he came back, he was told a member of the traveling press said it was a good trip, but there really wasn't any news in it.

That obviously annoyed the secretary. "There was news up there," Rumsfeld said during the press conference held in one of Saddam Hussein's palaces. "There was good news. Important good news."

He said constructive things are happening throughout Iraq. "The Iraqi people are being substantively benefited and advantaged by being rid of that vicious dictator," he said.

He pointed to the surroundings and said that anyone who doubts whether the Iraqi people are better off should just examine the palaces and the enormous sums of money Saddam spent on the military. Officials estimate that Saddam spent up to 35 percent of the country's gross domestic product on the military, the intelligence service and other means of staying in power. "It's a tragic, heartbreaking thing to see how the Iraqi people suffered over these past decades," he said.

Rumsfeld said coalition forces have built or rebuilt schools, ensured hospitals are working and helped universities function. In addition, coalition forces are helping to dig wells, refurbish the irrigation system and rebuild roads. Specialists are helping to maintain and rebuild the oil, electric and water infrastructure.

Rumsfeld said the scope and speed of such operations are impressive. "If one looks back at Germany or Japan or Bosnia or Kosovo and measures the progress that has taken place in this country in four or five months, it dwarfs any other experience that I'm aware of," Rumsfeld said.

He said he is not wearing rose-colored glasses in looking at the situation. He stressed that the road ahead will be hard and have many bumps, but that it is worth traveling.

Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of Combined Joint Task Force 7, also took exception to media coverage of the situation in Iraq. "It is very disturbing to me to sit here every day and watch the news back home that focuses on the bad things that are occurring in Iraq," he said.

The general says it makes it seem as if the sacrifices of coalition troops is not being appreciated. He said there is progress in every area of the country. "We ought to make sure that America knows that their sons' and daughters' sacrifices are for a good cause," he said. "We have eliminated a dictator here. We are making a difference every single day."

Sanchez also addressed charges that the security situation in the country mandates that he needs more U.S. troops. He said soldiers are experiencing about 14 to 16 attacks per day from individuals or very small groups.

"I have about 160,000 service members here," he said. "I don't need any more forces here. When you look across this country … there is no practical threat. There is no tactical threat, there is no strategic threat or operational threat that exists to the coalition or to America.

"One battalion's worth of coalition power can accomplish the task of defeating any threat that may surface in the coming months," he continued. "We can do this. We are doing this. We are making a difference. And we need to capture the great news that is out there and make sure that America knows what their sons and daughters … are doing in Iraq."

[BOBTHENAILER]

Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of Combined Joint Task Force 7, also took exception to media coverage of the situation in Iraq. "It is very disturbing to me to sit here every day and watch the news back home that focuses on the bad things that are occurring in Iraq," he said.

Great post.

[goldstategop]

Why do I have the feeling that if a Democrat were President there would be nothing but great press out of Iraq?

[HiJinx]

Why do I have the feeling that if a Democrat were President there would...

There would never have been an 'Iraq,' we'd still be trying to get a unanimous vote from the UN Security Council (per Dick Gephardt over the weekend) and America would still be at the mercy of the adherants and practitioners of extreme Islamic radicalism.

[xzins]

The general says it makes it seem as if the sacrifices of coalition troops is not being appreciated. He said there is progress in every area of the country. "We ought to make sure that America knows that their sons' and daughters' sacrifices are for a good cause," he said. "We have eliminated a dictator here. We are making a difference every single day."

General Sanchez says it perfectly.

The press doesn't appreciate the sacrifice being made by America's Sons & Daughters.

If they really supported our troops, they'd be showing the awesome things they're accomplishing in bringing peace and freedom to this FORMERLY brutalized land.

And it would give some small measure of comfort to the parents of those who give their lives. To know that the sacrifice was for the good of others and to promote the advance of justice and peace would give that parent something to cling to in the years ahead.

As it is, the press hates the families of our soldiers. They epecially hate the families of our deceased soldiers. They try to hide the good that the deceased was a part of before they made their ultimate sacrifice.

It would have been like NEVER telling the heroic story of the firefighters after 9/11 BUT ONLY AND EXCLUSIVELY focusing on looters of the ground zero site.

[BOBTHENAILER]

Why do I have the feeling that if a Democrat were President there would be nothing but great press out of Iraq?

Because you're a realist, who understands the sinister nature of the RATs marriage to lamestream media.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for posting this.

It is obvious that the left wing lunatics/mediots/videoits are on a mission to electronically lynch our president, smear Rummy and make our brave warriors look ineffective in Iraq.

They have given up on the Yellowcake Scam and now trying to use what they did re Viet Nam to reverse our wins in Iraq.

These left wing lunatics have been in bed with the Islamofacists decades before 9/11, and they still are.

[Fester Chugabrew]

Good news does not sell. Muckracking, slander, and cynicism do. That's what the press is for. That's their job, and someone loves to eat this stuff up.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thanks for the post and the pings. Sharing the words of the uniformly focused and determined military leaders with the troops reassures them more than any other "news".

"We can do this. We are doing this. We are making a difference. And we need to capture the great news that is out there and make sure that America knows what their sons and daughters … are doing in Iraq."

If you want on or off my pro-Coalition/anti-wanker ping list, please Freepmail me. Warning: this is a high volume ping list.

8 Unapologetically Pro-Coalition News Links and Articles

[blackie]

"Rumsfeld said the scope and speed of such operations are impressive. "If one looks back at Germany or Japan or Bosnia or Kosovo and measures the progress that has taken place in this country in four or five months, it dwarfs any other experience that I'm aware of," Rumsfeld said."

The nine dem dwarves and their toadies in the media, just don't get it. *sigh*

We are winning!

[MEG33]

You wrote such a great post.The undermining of our troops morale,the lack of reporting on their great efforts and successes angers me and brings tears to my eyes .I don't want a moment's thought by those serving or the families to be of lack of appreciation.

[Soaring Feather]

bump

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[ohioman]

You forgot to mention treason. The press is the largest symbol of the enemy within. When the majority of the American public sides with the liberal press, only then can Bin Ladin and Saddam win. If that happened (I admit it is a small percentage), we would LOSE this war and Bush would lose the re-election. Our only hope would be a successful civil war. I also hope I am dead wrong and that my conjecture is nothing more than alternative history pap. :)

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

The biggest NEWS coming out of Iraq, is that the NEWS MEDIA isn't reporting the NEWS!! There is good news constantly coming back from Iraq. Both from the North and the South. But it typically is coming back via the troops! Or from people like Fox News reporters.

The liberal media would rather POLITICIZE this, and WAIT to get a DEMOCRAT ELECTED, then report anything good that could then be attributed to this President. HOW SICK IS THAT??

(BTW,.. caps are for emphasis.. I'm not yelling, though the good Lord knows I feel like YELLING!!)

[PhilDragoo]

In a country of 25 million which had a fraction of the electricity and clean water it needed, was subject to torture and execution by a tyrant, was producing the VX and other delicacies it dumped in the Tigris, peace brings progress.

Demrat propagandists of the Leni Reifenstahl-Josef Goebbels ilk now ignore that in favor of the statistically insignificant attacks on coalition troops.

The White House press pool should be purged of this scum, and a robust program of imbedding reporters should be instituted.

Wire them to the rebar in the next municipal sewage treatment plant project and imbed them in the concrete pour.

We have not seen such lying since Germany invaded Poland in an act of self-defense.

[BOBTHENAILER]

When you look across this country … there is no practical threat. There is no tactical threat, there is no strategic threat or operational threat that exists to the coalition or to America.

The above tidbit from Gen. Sanchez gets no traction with the lamestream press.

I love your imbed idea for all the press, well, maybe not Fox.

[faithincowboys]

I am saddened that the loudmouth, unpatriotic Boomer Left and its' wannabes never miss an opportunity to run down our Great Country. There is a lot of anger and sadness over it and I hope each and every one of them get theirs.

[Sofa King]

" we'd still be trying to get a unanimous vote from the UN Security Council (per Dick Gephardt over the weekend)"

Are you sure about that? I figure that we'd have just bombed another aspirin factor and that would have been the end of the war on terrorism until another few thousand people died.

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

You know, somehow we really need to get this news out more. I don't know what the solutions is.. but perhaps we need to do what you suggest. This POLITICIZING of the news like this has nothing to do with a FREE PRESS at all, and EVERYTHING to do with POLITICS.

So I'm all for EMBEDDING some truthtellers. Especially since it could save some of our troops lives when we stop feeding into the terrorists side of things.

We ARE having great success in the North and the South, it is only in Tikrit and Central Iraq where it was Saddams strongholds that we have al Queda and Baathist insurgents trying to cause trouble. In fact, I just heard tonight that al Queda is even acting up in Bosnia.

The Taliban has been acting up since February in Afghanistan. Up to 1000 have tried to re-enter, and we've met them head on there too. We aren't backing down. But killing them and we needed to do this. I wish we could wipe them off the face of the earth.

Our troops are so awesome. Americans need to appreciate how important their work is, and I have to say.. when I hear this whining lately by the Democrats, it makes both of us want to puke. They ought to be saying how important this work is, and what a great job our country and our troops are doing for the world. How bad it had gotten, and how the world community should unite behind our efforts. PERIOD.

Again, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the sacrifices of our allies too.