Democrat Congressman: Media's Bias 'Is Killing Our Troops'

NewsMax.com ^ | 9/22/03 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall, D-Ga., went to Iraq to check out the war for himself. What he saw has him angry ... at America's media establishment.

"The Iraq war has predictably evolved into a guerrilla conflict similar to Vietnam. Our currently stated objectives are to establish reasonable security and foster the creation of a secular, representative government with a stable market economy that provides broad opportunity throughout Iraqi society. Attaining these objectives in Iraq would inevitably transform the Arab world and immeasurably increase our future national security," he writes in today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"These are goals worthy of a fight, of sacrifice, of more lives lost now to save thousands, perhaps tens or hundreds of thousands in the future. In Mosul last Monday, a colonel in the 101st Airborne put it to me quite simply: 'Sir, this is worth doing.' No one I spoke with said anything different. And I spoke with all ranks.

"But there will be more Blumbergs killed in action, many more. So it is worth doing only if we have a reasonable chance of success. And we do, but I'm afraid the news media are hurting our chances. They are dwelling upon the mistakes, the ambushes, the soldiers killed, the wounded, the Blumbergs. Fair enough. But it is not balancing this bad news with 'the rest of the story,' the progress made daily, the good news. The falsely bleak picture weakens our national resolve, discourages Iraqi cooperation and emboldens our enemy. ...

"Throughout Iraq, American soldiers with their typical 'can do' attitude and ingenuity are engaging in thousands upon thousands of small reconstruction projects, working with Iraqi contractors and citizens. Through decentralized decision-making by unit commanders, the 101st Airborne Division alone has spent nearly $23 million in just the past few months. This sum goes a very long way in Iraq. Hundreds upon hundreds of schools are being renovated, repainted, replumbed and reroofed. Imagine the effect that has on children and their parents.

"Zogby International recently released the results of an August poll showing hope and progress. My own unscientific surveys told me the same thing. With virtually no exceptions, hundreds of Iraqis enthusiastically waved back at me as I sat in the open door of a helicopter traveling between Babylon and Baghdad. And I received a similar reception as I worked my way alone, shaking hands through a large crowd of refinery workers just to see their reaction.

"We may need a few credible Baghdad Bobs to undo the harm done by our media. I'm afraid it is killing our troops," concludes Marshall, who shows that Sen. Zell Miller isn't the only decent Democrat in Georgia (call them the antidotes to Sen. Patty "Osama Mama" Murray, Rep. "Baghdad" Jim McDermott and Rep. Marcy Kaptur).

Yes, Iraq certainly is becoming like Vietnam ... in the astonishing bias shown by Big Media.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

DNC
Media Bias
Saddam Hussein/Iraq

[Nebr FAL owner]

Is this for real ??? A closet communist from the Democrat party stating that the press that is making propaganda for the Islamo-facists ?!?!?!? Is this really a Democrat ????

[Peach]

We need to find a way to make the press ashamed of themselves. It MUST be possible if they are human.

Damn them anyway. They sit behind their computers and pound out the DNC talking points of the day, not understanding how demoralizing it is for the troops and their families.

[SwinneySwitch]

Is Rep. Jim Marshall, D-Ga, thinking of changing his D to an R?

[tiamat]

Peach

Oh I think they understand all right.

Which only makes 'em worse!

Tia

[onedoug]

Why would anyone who cares about anything be a Democrat?

[BossLady]

"The Iraq war has predictably evolved into a guerrilla conflict similar to Vietnam"

This statement worries me a little....Dims comparing Iraq to Vietnam.....talk about spin....

[auboy]

Zell Miller is a Democrat, too. Some Dems are like the old Dems before the Clintons oozed into power. But they are few and far between.

[caisson71]

Democrat from Georgia = Ft. Benning = 101st Airborne. He has to go back home at some time and meet his constituents, many retired VietNam vets who remember being maligned by the press, who remember the 20,000+ Americans needlessly killed because General Giap counted on the anit-war hippies and our press to cause Americans to abandon their troops and quit.

[Semper Paratus]

Almost all media live shots in Iraq are on terrorist events instead of schools and hosptitals opening.

[Bringbackthedraft]

Wasn't the 101st in Ft Campbell? Benning has the jump school.

[alnick]

Is this really a Democrat ????

Yes, it's a 'rat all right. He writes, "News media reports about our progress in Iraq have been bleak since shortly after the president's premature declaration of victory."

He just couldn't resist slipping in a lie to try to make the president look bad. The original article written by the congressman is here.

[Gringo1]

Some of our Democrats like Zell tend to be a bit different than your run of the mill Dems.

[steplock]

We really need to seperate a REAL democrats from the left-wing radical extremist that are ruinning the DNC.

There are those who still believe in the traditional democrat party line (pre-johnson) but unfortunately can't leave because their constituents usually can only vote a straight ticket and don't know any better.

Just like we need to seperate the REAL republicans from the extremists in our party (yes we have them). But for now, I'll settle for ridding the country of our most dangerous enemies (far left radicals) first - then we can make "our" extremists leave and form their own party.

[peteram]

They are dwelling upon the mistakes, the ambushes, the soldiers killed, the wounded, the Blumbergs. Fair enough. But it is not balancing this bad news with 'the rest of the story,' the progress made daily, the good news. The falsely bleak picture weakens our national resolve, discourages Iraqi cooperation and emboldens our enemy. ...

I submit that this is EXACTLY what happened during the Vietnam era to cause us to "lose" that conflict.

[CFC__VRWC]

Damn them anyway. They sit behind their computers and pound out the DNC talking points of the day, not understanding how demoralizing it is for the troops and their families.

Oh, they know all too well what effect their screeds have on troop morale. And that effect is one of the reasons they write them - the US military is only thing that the media loathes nearly as much as they loathe George W. Bush.

[ChewedGum]

Exactly. I'm glad this guy has the guts to tell things as they are, even if they don't help his own political party. Truth transcends politics. (Ok - in my world it does.)

Gum

[eddie willers]

You have to remember that the state of Georgia was warred upon and defeated (literally) by the Republicans in 1865.

The hatred ran miles deep and many families would never, never, EVER vote for the people that burned their houses and killed their Pappy.

It's true that ideologies have shifted and the current Republican party best represents the people of the South. But old habits are hard to shake and it will take one more generation to complete what Nixon started.

[kitkat]

You didn't read the whole sentence, which was:

***Yes, Iraq certainly is becoming like Vietnam ... in the astonishing bias shown by Big Media.***

[Freee-dame]

And we do, but I'm afraid the news media are hurting our chances.

Even worse are the Democratic politicos who have been bashing President Bush and the war since it began. Without them, I do not think that either the American press or foreign leaders would have felt so free to bash American policy.