The Petraeus Iraq Report Card: Finding the truth…can it be done?
Posted by Catherine Morgan on September 10, 2007
Will we ever know the truth about Iraq? This is what the National Security Network (NSN) is saying…
09.10.2007
Today the National Security Network released a new video “Crisis in Confidence: The Politics and Policy of the Petraeus Report” in which frank assessments of the Bush Administration’s flawed Iraq strategy are offered by leading experts such as Richard Clarke, Jon Alterman, and Mara Rudman.
Personally, I feel if you really want to get the truth about what is happening in Iraq, you should not try to figure it out by listening to Gen. Petraeus. Let’s just say, it’s not unlike an accountant fudging the numbers for a client, or a lawyer getting a guilty person off on a technicality. In the case of this “Iraq Report Card”…the numbers, the words, the graph charts, they are all part of a carefully calculated program of propaganda, to cover-up the truth (not reveal it). And every major news network will cover some variety of this propaganda as truth, just as they are expected to…except of course for FOX, who will be “fair and balanced” in their coverage of this story, as in every story they do.
So where can someone find the truth? I won’t presume to know the answer to that question, but I do have some suggestions of where we can all start looking.
Let me just say one thing first. If you are getting all of your news from talk radio…”You need an intervention, seek help immediately.”
Okay, and now for everyone else…
If you want to watch the news on television (and really, who doesn’t?), then this is an excellent time to “channel surf”. Don’t stay on FOX News just because they are fair and balanced, check out CNN, and MSNBC too. Find out what they are all saying, and then figure out how YOU feel about it. Another good place to check out is C-SPAN, you can even watch it live right on your computer…But I guess you can do that with all of them now-a-days.
Then, if you’re an “internet junky” (and since you’re reading this blog, there’s a good chance you might be), I suggest you do the same thing (surf), just on a grander scale. Have a list of news and opinion sites that you find you are getting the truth from, and build from their. And always remember that – Truth is allusive in politics, the best you can hope for is “close to the truth”. Here are a couple sites I like.
This is from the Daily Kos…
On a day when the world turns its collective attention toward a Congressional hearing room to listen to a General’s testimony about the war, one can’t help but remember another officer’s testimony about another war…read full post
From Arianna Huffington of The Huffington Post…
So the American people get it, and the Democrats running for president and trying to win their votes get it. Then why do so many in the media still not get it?
In Sunday’s New York Times, Michael Gordon, Judy Miller’s former partner in the Ahmed Chalabi vaudeville production of “Saddam’s Got WMD,” served up a fact-challenged piece of administration propaganda in which he asserted, “The most comprehensive and up-to-date military statistics show that American forces have made some headway toward a crucial goal of protecting the Iraqi population.”
Talk about drinking the Kool-Aid. Nowhere does Gordon point out that the methodology the Pentagon uses to arrive at the comprehensive stats he cites has been thoroughly discredited, as shown by the Washington Post. Instead he asserts…read full post
I also like ExpertVoter.org — They have video on all the political candidates Democrat and Republican, talking about there positions on different issues, it’s a great way to compare the candidates.
The Washington Post is doing live blogging on todays hearing…
Today’s testimony shows that there some indication of military progress, but the big question is whether it is sustainable. To me, the point is that you can’t sustain military progress without significant political progress and without brokering a political agreement among the Iraqis.
Something new that I just came across while doing this post, is called WatchBlog: Political News and Commentary. What’s interesting here is…
WatchBlog is a multiple-editor weblog broken up into three major political affiliations, each with its own blog: the Democrats, the Republicans and the Third Party (covering everything outside the two major parties).
Let’s face it, politics is confusing. Sometimes it’s difficult to know who to believe, who to listen to and who to support. We’re here to help. Posting on a regular basis are editors representing each major party. Stay informed.
This will be one I add to my list. And if you happen to be a conservative blogger/writer, it seems they are looking for a few more bloggers for the site…
WatchBlog is looking for a couple more volunteer defenders of the Republican / Conservative point of view. Requirements: good writing skills, spell checker, and a political blog of your own or, another web site where your experience as a political writer can be viewed. If you are interested in promoting political perspectives, philosophy, and/or news, your name could appear here.
That’s pretty cool…here is where you can apply.
Kim Pearson also did a great post on this subject the other day for BlogHer, “Where to Find Accurate and Reliable News“.
So, where do you get your “reliable” news and information?
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