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The Truth Shall Set You Free
Max Boot has indeed hit the nail on the head. It seems that the Coalition is set on "managing the message" rather than opting for an approach that favors transparancy and access. Mr. Boot, along with Michael Yon, rightly excoriate this mindset. William, I believe, is correct in pointing out the lack of trust that has been engendered by rose-tinted declarations confronting a dichotomous reality where the rubber meets the proverbial road.
I am personally of the belief that it is not the coffins returnig to Andrews that are souring the public at large to our Mesopotamian trevails, but rather the afforementioned dichotomy between official pronouncement and stories-images coming out of theatre. In short, it isn't war fatigue, but rather Five-O'clock Funny fatigue. The antidote to this fatigue, I believe, is Mr. Boot's suggestion of radically increasing the number of journalists on the ground. Disheartening stories are going to make their way out of Iraq, irrespective of the number of jouralists embeded with American troops. The Coalition media folks simply cannot control news that is escaping the country.
Mr. Boot also brings up a point that shouldn't be overlooked. The notion of troops criticizing reportage could be a valuable tool, in gaining control of the media high ground. I would much rather have an American soldier providing on the ground insight, than an Iraqi stringer of unknown provenance. I guess the American public can't make an informed decision about Iraq, unless it gets information, warts and all. Having CENTCOM radically limiting access to its soldiers does just the opposite. Just my $.02.
Cato
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