The Bomb Heard Round the World (Mentions DU)

[54anickel]

I didn't see this one posted yet. Sorry if it's a dupe. Came across it this afternoon, but just got back to finish reading it.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2006/06/09/BL2006060900448.html

snip>

What was fascinating was the way the administration handled the media rollout yesterday, after ABC's Martha Raddatz broke the story at 2:30 a.m. The president goes before the cameras at 7:30--pretty unusual, but prime time for the morning show audience. Then the General Casey briefing, and the Rummy comments, and the Tony Snow Show, and Bush addressing his Cabinet. It was all-purpose programming that kept the cable nets busy for hours.

The Snow briefing was fascinating because he was providing a tick-tock and lots of color, and doing it on camera. Usually this is done on background in private chats with reporters, who gobble up such material for their reconstruction pieces. This guy understands how the beast behaves. (Of course, he won't be quite so voluble on bad-news days for the White House.)

And an administration that has gone out of its way to discourage pictures of American casualties in Iraq, or even the returning coffins, rushed out two photos of a very dead al-Zarqawi. The networks, putting aside their usual squeamishness, were happy to air them, along with the irresistible aerial photos of the bombing.

Are we in the media pumping this up? The Washington Post had this to say in April:

snip to page 4>

"We noted the bizarre reactions of most of the Democrats who post at Democratic Underground to the news of Zarqawi's death. It would be easy to dismiss those comments as the ravings of a few fringe lunatics, except that there are so many of them. Actually, though, the DU posters aren't too far out of sync with some of their party's elected leaders, as the Washington Times notes in 'Democrats call Zarqawi killing a stunt':

more...

[file83]

1. That mention of DU was a quote from Hinderaker at Powerline blog...

...he's a idiot. It's to be expected.

[ixion]

2. I get really tired of having my opinion moved to the lunatic fringe

You know, in the 'real' world, I have a job and am considered 'sane'. Then suddenly I post a perfectly reasonable opinion based on facts and historical evidence and all of a sudden I'm a member of the lunatic fringe? Puh-leeze. :eyes:

[Warren Stupidity]

4. All opinions outside of the official story

are marginalized. Ann Coulter can call the widows of 9-11 grief-whores and she is on the book talk circuit day after day; we point out holes in the Zarqawi story, historical facts that make the whole Zarqawi narrative more than a bit suspicious, including a long article in the Washington Post about how the Zarqawi narrative is most likely a Ministry of Disinformation Psyops campaign, and we are the lunatic fringe.

For those of you old enough to remember R.D. Lang, welcome to the asylum, only sane people here.

"Insanity -- a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world."

[ixion]

10. "In an insane society, the sane man must appear insane."

Captain James T. Kirk.


Yeah, I always get a big kick out of those made-for-tv, prime-time mockumentaries, a.k.a. the 'official story'. It's like Jesus and Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny all rolled up into one.

[Vincardog]

3. Hey Wash post do you ever consider that the Dem. "Leaders" who disagree

with us are the ones out of sync?

[otherlander]

5. Don't you realize what this means?

We're officially important enough to be swiftboated! :woohoo:

[tanyev]

6. Ahoy, matey!

:patriot:

[otherlander]

7. Honestly, I don't think even the delusional administration believes

that making a big deal out of Zarqawi's death- whenever it was- is going to accomplish anything. But they have to keep us looking crazy as they prepare the new Goldstien...

[struggle4progress]

8. * sez: "He's dead! A turning point! But -- we'll be there a long time."

I wonder what the Thuglicans dumped out as trash while the media was dutifully reciting "Rah! Rah! Rah!" and getting meaningless blather quotes from various nitwits ...

[CJCRANE]

9. At least DU got a namecheck..nt

[Demeter]

11. Not Enough Hot Air in the World To Float This Balloon

Zarqawi's martyrdom is a big snooze here. Bet the returns overseas will be much greater, though. More jihad, more terrorist trainees, more regression of democracy and progressive thinking....