Ever since Watergate hero Bob Woodward revealed a 66-page secret Pentagon report Sept. 22 in The Washington Post that revealed U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal was seeking an additional 40,000 American troops for Afghanistan, the White House has deftly controlled the message, shaped the narrative, crafted the president’s wartime image and kept the news media eating out of its hand as it made its way toward a final decision.
On the surface, it might appear that publication of the McChrystal report came as a surprise to President Barack Obama, forcing him to scramble to respond before he wanted to and triggering a slow, two- month-plus reassessment that has been criticized by former Vice President Dick Cheney as “dithering.”
But a detailed examination of news coverage of the reassessment issue in the major national newspapers, primarily The Washington Post and The New York Times, suggests that many angles and details of the stories were being carefully fed by White House aides to all-too-willing reporters who dressed it up as the inside dope. In reality, many reporters were steered into spinning the story exactly the way the White House wanted it told, with relatively little skepticism or criticism.
And now that a decision will be announced Tuesday night, here is how the media told it: Obama, faced with a difficult and agonizing decision, was wisely taking his time and deliberatively listening to all of the arguments, pro and con, including dissenters on his staff, pushing the military for more details about goals, tactics, cost in dollars, exit strategies and timetables.
Read More: By RICHARD BENEDETTO, Politico
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Why would the United States commit more US troops to Afghanistan to fight terrorists when our president frees them, & has them tried outside of military courts. Our military servicemen & woman do not have their immediate needs for clothing & sheets & medical care & their families face financial & family hardships that have been totally ignored by the media. What is the definition of TREASON ? Can anyone clarify this situation …. I seem to be blinded by the facts of this probably illegal person inside the white house on my tax dollars betraying the constitution & with supporters ?????
THIS IS A FAKE-POUS-ILLEGAL ALIEN-NOT WORTHY FOR THE POSITION HE IS IN-THAT BOUGHT BY ACORN-ILLEGAL VOTES-MONEY MONGERS-NEWS CHANNELS EXCEPT "FOX NEWS" GO FOX-COMMUNIST,MARXIST,AYERS.WRIGHT AND CHICAGO MOB.HE KNOWS NOTHING BUT GOOD LIES=DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THE TRUTH IS OR CARES-HE IS A MUSLIM JUDHIST-HATES AMERICA BUT DOESN'T MIND RIPPING-"WE THE PEOPLE" OFF TO GET RICHER THAN HE IS. HE IS THE BIGGEST " TREASON "PERSON. GET RID OF HIM HOWEVER WE CAN BEFORE HE DESTROYS AMERICA-COMPLETELY. IMPEACH-IMPEACH!!!!!!!
I must agree and have for 9 months….there is nothing stated that anyone can count on
except he was going to change our country ….bring it down…enslave our people, take
our country apart, break us financially, put our soldiers out there not to fight the war, but
to be killed and not given enough equipment that is in good condition, nor enough mainten-
ance supplies, and not a full paycheck; thus suffering even their families. No president
ever treated their military in this way, they honored them
Obama, you are a Communist-in-Chief ! Useless to America and real Americans. Please get help—and soon !!!???