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Audacity of Truth
Big Government- Hot Air
- Michelle Malkin
- Wheeling & dealing: Snowe pow-wows with Obama; Landrieu, Schumer, Daschle behind the scenes
- Saturday in the Senate: Cash for Cloture; Reid gets 60; Update: 8:15pm Eastern cloture vote – 60-39; Voinovich absent; Dems invoke Teddy Kennedy; Reid: “Ted would be happy.”
- Another day, another Berkeley tantrum
- Jake Tapper
- Lynn Sweet
Does media negativity hurt troop morale?
You betcha, and military commanders are expressing concern to Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld:
Pentagon officials say they are increasingly worried that Washington’s political fight over the Iraq war will dampen what has been high morale among troops fighting a tenacious and deadly enemy.
Commanders are telling Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld that ground troops do not understand the generally negative press that their missions receive, despite what they consider significant achievements in rebuilding Iraq and instilling democracy.
The commanders also worry about the public’s declining support for the mission and what may be a growing movement inside the Democratic Party to advocate troop withdrawal from Iraq.
“They say morale is very high,” said a senior Pentagon official of reports filed by commanders with Washington. “But they relate comments from troops asking, ‘What the heck is going on back here’ and why America isn’t seeing the progress they are making or appreciating the mission the way those on the ground there do. My take is that they are wondering if America is still behind them.”
Mr. Rumsfeld appeared on several Sunday talk shows yesterday to express concern about the effects of the political discussion on U.S. forces.
“We also have to understand that our words have effects,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.” “Put yourself in the shoes of a soldier who thinks that we’re going to pull out precipitously or immediately, as some people have proposed. Obviously, they have to wonder whether what they’re doing makes sense if that’s the idea, if that’s the debate.”
He repeated similar words on other shows, saying on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that war critics should “think about the troops that are there and how it sounds to them.” He also exhorted the audience on ABC’s “This Week” to “put yourself in the shoes of the American soldiers.”
The Dept. of Defense is denying that morale is actually down, but I’d bet money that the negative press has had an effect on troop morale that would not be viewed as even remotely positive.
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You asked for the evidence Brian. There’s the evidence.
I’m sure that this coverage is also having a devastating effect on the morale of Iraqi troops & police, who must be concerned about the prospect being abandoned to face the wrath of Baathists and terrorists.
I really think everyone who has newspaper subscriptions needs to examine their conscience about continuing to support these organizations.
The left yelled that Iraq would be another Vietnam, and they were right in only one respect: That of the same left attempting to make us lose the war here at home.
They saw that the tactic worked once before, so they’re using the same strategy again.
I’ve cancelled my local rag.
Destroying the morale of the troops is the leftist goal which they used affectively in Vietnam. What the leftists want is an ever increasing number of disaffected military returning to help spread their defeatist propaganda. e.g. John Kerry and his cohorts
I stopped buying the two local papers awhile ago. Since I can get the local TV listings online, I don’t even need the Sunday paper anymore.
The St. Pete Times and the Tampa Tribune both hew to the left. The Times more so. I put up with it through the Clinton years, but dropped them during the 2000 elections. Why pay to read the same lies over and over?
The same holds for broadcast news. While I could afford cable, I watched FOX, and sometimes CNN headlines. I don’t miss the news anymore. There’s plenty online and on the radio.
Newspapers. Perfect for shredding. Prefect for packaging. Perfect for the kitty litter box.:grin: