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Levin Rachets Up Pressure on the Pentagon Puppets

Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) has asked Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to investigate the claims of a recent New York Times report that found retired military officers have been used as Pentagon puppets in the media.

To the public, these men are members of a familiar fraternity, presented tens of thousands of times on television and radio as "military analysts" whose long service has equipped them to give authoritative and unfettered judgments about the most pressing issues of the post-Sept. 11 world.

Hidden behind that appearance of objectivity, though, is a Pentagon information apparatus that has used those analysts in a campaign to generate favorable news coverage of the administration’s wartime performance, an examination by The New York Times has found.

The effort, which began with the buildup to the Iraq war and continues to this day, has sought to exploit ideological and military allegiances, and also a powerful financial dynamic: Most of the analysts have ties to military contractors vested in the very war policies they are asked to assess on air.

In a letter to Gates, Levin wrote, "While the media clearly have their own shortfalls for paying people to provide 'independent' analysis when they have such real and apparent conflicts, that doesn't excuse the Department’s behavior in giving both special treatment and valuable access to analysts who provide commentary in favor of DoD’s strategy, while not offering similar access to some other analysts and cutting off access to others who didn’t deliver as expected."

Comments

HO!!!--what good whitewashing a conflict?--won't Truth Out evidentially...???

In her article The Deadly Pipeline War: U.S. Afghan Policy Driven By Oil Interests, Prof. Marjorie Cohn of Thomas Jefferson School of Law (JURIST Contributing Editor) tells how, "A few days before September 11, the U.S. Energy Information Administration documented Afghanistan's strategic 'geographical position as a potential transit route for oil and natural gas exports from Central Asia to the Arabian Sea,' including the construction of pipelines through Afghanistan."

My point here is articulated by the AP article Insurgent Activity Soaring in "Forgotten War" in Afghanistan (Nov. 12, 2006); how can we build and protect pipelines when "the pot is boiling over"...???

The Senlis Council is the voice we should be listening to here--it's an international policy think tank with offices in Kabul, London, Ottawa, Rio de Janeiro, Brussels and Paris. Read Countering the Insurgency in Afghanistan: Losing Friends and Making Enemies (Feb. 2007)

I suppose my big problem in understanding the Oil Interest's conquest (if the Russians lost in Afghanistan...) is that, most probably, there's absolutely no rhyme or rhythm involved...

Or just maybe, someone's planning the biggest DRAFT imaginable...

The military is accepting more and more felons these days--perhaps the Govt. is thinking about using illegal aliens here...

WHAT???!!! At least there's plenty of them!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Michael L. Wagner on 04/23/08 at 11:59 AM Respond

So much for democracy. Our elected servants are running amok.

Posted by: Jet on 04/23/08 at 2:59 PM Respond

Plain and simple - it's treason. The officers have committed treason under the laws of this country. It's up to them to serve up honorable conduct - now, having failed at it with their act - say, at a minimum, forfeit their retirment. But if one, O. North is any example, their crimes will be rewarded.

Posted by: cognitive eye on 04/23/08 at 4:39 PM Respond

She is getting votes because the McCain supporters voted for Hillary!!! That is also why the turnout was so high. URGHHHHH!!!!!! Am I the only one who sees this?

When will someone come out and admit that at least 5% (possibly 10%) of the people voting for Hillary are Republicans who will vote for McCain in the general election?

I know a bunch of hill-billies in Fort Wayne who are going to vote for her. People who would never ever vote for a Democrat, let alone a Clinton. They are open about it and laugh their ass off because they know that they are screwing the Democrats up - AND IT IS!!!

This is starting to piss me off. It is right in front of us, but the media is saying NOTHING about it. I'm about to come out of my skin!!!

Posted by: kirkbrew on 04/23/08 at 5:11 PM Respond