Harry Reid is planning on holding hearings on the Military Analyst story
By John Amato Saturday May 10, 2008 12:45pm
I've been posting like crazy about the latest media/military propaganda scam that the NY Times broke a few weeks ago. You know, the one about the paid military generals-turned-analysts that the networks used to deceive the American public with so the Iraq war was such an easy sell. Since then we've found out that Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC and NBC failed to respond to a PBS request for comment which has resulted in virtually a complete media blackout, but which caused the the Defense Department to temporarily stop feeding information to retired military officers pending a review of the issue. Col. Allard admitted to CNN that there definitely was a conflict of interest---while Sen. Feingold questions the legality of it in a letter he wrote. Now it looks like we'll have some action because it seems that Harry Reid (h/t Glenn Greenwald) has been paying attention to the blogosphere's call for action:
Harry Reid was at the FDL Book Salon today and an FDL reader asked: " are you planning to hold hearings on the illegality of the Pentagon's propaganda training program of retired military officers?"
Reid responded: "The answer is yes. I have personally spoken to Chairman Levin and he is tremendously concerned as I. And we are proceeding accordingly."
Glenn Greenwald sheds more light on how the Pentagon was so very thrilled by these faux military experts.
The key issue here is that more and more, media analysts are having a greater impact on the television media network coverage of military issues. They have now become the go to guys not only for breaking stories, but they influence the views on issues. They also have a huge amount of influence on what stories the network decides to cover proactively with regard to the military. . . .
1.) I recommend we develop a core group from within our media analyst list of those that we can count on to carry our water. They become part of a "hot list" of those that we immediately make calls to or put on an email distro list before we contact or respond to media on hot issues...read on
Sickening, just sickening. Psy-ops, baby!
And I think we caught Lawrence Di Rita (the former Pentagon spokesman under Secretary Don Rumsfeld) lying on CNN with these new documents. Di Rita denies ginning up the militaryTV analyists to Kurtz:
KURTZ: Larry Di Rita, were you, the Pentagon, Don Rumsfeld, trying to get a positive message out through these TV analysts, these retired military men, who appeared to the viewer at home to be Independent?
LAWRENCE DI RITA, FMR. PENTAGON SPOKESMAN: Positive, no. I think our objective was a balance, a richer set of understandings. There was a general sense, and I think the public often -- it showed up in polls -- that they weren't getting the breadth of the story.
(click image to make larger)
Yet in this note that Glenn Greenwald found---he cheers on the talking points.
This is a thoughtful note. . . I think it makes a lot of sense to do as you suggest and I guess I thought we were already doing a lot of this in terms of quick contact, etc. . . We ought to be doing this, though, and we should not make the list too small .
I wonder how Kurtz would feel knowing he was lied to on air by Di Rita?I'll investigate further as the day goes on...
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Harry Reid has a book to sell. A book about the "Good Fight".
What a laugh. Don't worry-- if he happens to stumble onto anything that would require a principled man to take action, he'll find a way to retreat from it and bury it as quickly as possible.
Why it take 7 years?
What about the Downing Street Memos. Etc, Etc.
Don't expect too much. The democrats are "hearing" impaired.
*yawn* Harry Reid is a liar and possibly a blackmailed spineless old man
How about going after the whole war profiteering shebang? We didn't go to war so much for oil or to position ourselves in the Middle East as we went for profiteering. That was the incentive and the goal as well; the ends and the means. If congress had gone after the profiteers tenaciously from the first hundred days we might have gotten funding with timetables, the GOP would be in an even weaker position than it is now. We would start seeing how much the media is tied up in profiteering. Pelosi may have been forced by enough outraged citizens to even put impeachment back on the table. We may have had enough citizens calling for impeachment after seeing how their tax dollars are being gobbled up as company profits the way they are.
This is good that Reid is doing this, and we should demand that this leads to full investigations on war profiteering. But it won't happen unless the people demand it because, evidently, both parties are to involved in it to go turning over those rocks and seeing what lies underneath.
Otherwise it would have been a no-brainer for the Dems to go after it. But some, like Feinstein, would likely find themselves sullied as well. And where does Obama stand on this? I haven't heard anyone ask him that question yet.
Whatever happened to the "liberal" media? Turned into a GOP psy-ops so many years ago.
I'm glad to see that Reid is recognizing that in the stalemate between Lieberman's ideological swings between being a Democrat or John McCan's bearing's checker, which truly limit his political reign in the Senate, that he may not be able to do anything with a so-called majority of one, or Bush's need to veto anything Democratically conceived, that conducting hearings are his only real power in Congress.
Let's have more of them. We still need A LOT more answers before Reid can take a bow.
Well, It's a little to late Harry. The damning Downing Street memos also deserved a better look. But what the Hell. You and the other spineless Democrats will just ride out Dubyas second term and to Hell with the average American.
Leslie [Hussein] @ 6:
All I can say is "Thank Al Gore for the internet" (joking) so that those of us who aren't thinking impared can have access to real news, grassroots politics, and best of all - each another.
Bridget Jones @ 9:
Really!!!! :-)
The collusion of the MSM, the gov't (Repugs or the Dims) and corporations is the face of "democracy" we display to the world.
Is it any wonder so many countries now say "no thanks" where as they used to look on in envy at our system of freedom.
Harry can't wait until he and his friends get front row at the trough.
For all those people who say that it's too late to impeach the chimpster and his organ grinder, due to to the time left, I say we need at least to get the ball rolling. If tried by the Senate and convicted perhaps we wouldn't need to pay their salaries for the rest of their lives. They won't miss it. But additionally once they are no longer allowed to hold any public office, due to their conviction, their usefulness to "think" tanks will be negligible.
I heard there's an international arrest warrent for chinless, so if he travels outside the US he could be arrested, but what about prince georgie?
Not only are many of the military "analysts" liars, but most of them can't even get their facts straight. Just the other day, FOX News was blaring on the clarion call for war with China, by pointing out something that had been available on Google Earth for a week or two; that China has a new submarine base, for its relatively tiny SSBN fleet.
I shit you not however, with a straight face, the military "analyst" said that an aircraft carrier could dock outside or even get INTO said underground base. There's a couple problems with this statement. One, China doesn't have aircraft carriers (they've bought a bunch of decommissioned shells and plans from Russia, but they're not operable and probably won't be for years). Two, why would an SSBN fleet would travel with a carrier strike group (which they don't, even in America whom has a SSBN fleet on constant patrol) ? And three, no mention was made that China's SSBN fleet is almost always dry-docked; they hardly ever use them, except for occasional training patrols.
The point being is that they're attempting to paint China as the next big competitor in the arm's race. Not mind you, that China's government wouldn't mind doing so, or that ratcheting up tensions in the region wouldn't behoove the various conservative, neo-nationalist forces in South Korea and Japan, amongst others. When both sides paint the other one as rapacious imperialist dogs its easy enough to get a whole bunch of people to sign up to shoot each other.
This is an extremely important story and cannot be allowed to die on the vine of the endless scandals surrounding the Bushistas, thanks for staying on top of this.
I'm glad that someone, anyone, in our govt. is putting SOME investigation into it. Letting them sweep it under the rug is not acceptable
Bridget Jones @ 9:
Leslie [Hussein] @ 6:
Whatever happened to the “liberal” media? Turned into a GOP psy-ops so many years ago.
All I can say is “Thank Al Gore for the internet” (joking) so that those of us who aren’t thinking impared can have access to real news, grassroots politics, and best of all - each another.
___________________________________________________________________________
I thought grassroot politics started with NORML.
ysbaddaden @ 13:
We'd never get a conviction in the Senate. The House only has a slim Democratic lead too. Although they ought to at least go after Cheney in the House. Sigh. It won't happen.
Harry Reid (R) . Forget it , Harry . You're one of "them".
How does Howie Kurtz feel? Absolutely wonderful. He's a OP himself -- a lying scumbag married to a high-ranking Republican party offical named Sheri Annis.
Why no one in the NON "mainstream" media ever mentions this is a mystery to me.
Let the stern letters begin !!!!
Right. He can hold hearings while he caves in on another 100 billion
for the Iraq war.
Please spare me.
ysbaddaden @ 16:
LOL. Probably so.
Bridget Jones @ 22:
Someone has grassroots? :-)
StirFry @ 20:
He might get even stronger and write a Stern and BITTER letter.
♠Bangkok-Bob♠ @ 24:
At least it would be better than NO letter and no hearing.
I tried to post this below, but my dial-up won't let me after about 50 or so comments.
I realized because of what St Augustine said, that I think JFK was running for reelection when he was assisnated, which means LBJ filled in for him only a few months.
Because of my dial-up I couldn't keep this site open, and research the 1947 (?) Presidential Succession Act.
I also asked St Augustine what he thought of Johannes Scotus Erigenus.
Leslie [Hussein] @ 17:
That would be whatever the opposite of a nightmare is... :D
If ANYONE in all of this Bush Junta deserves to be convicted and locked away, it is that evil tyrant. Just the sight of the man makes my uterus go into violent convulsions of disgust. Ugh.
speaking of propoganda.... (am I the only one to notice this?)... Has anyone else noticed that there is a cable channel called the "pentagon channel"?
http://www.pentagonchannel.mil/
see also:
http://www.pentagonchannel.mil/aboutdod.aspx
Bridget Jones @ 9:
Actually, I do thank Gore who played a major part in expanding the Internet from it's roots in DARPA and as a tool used by a limited number of academics into the public sphere. What part of World-Wide-Web did he not understand?
Leslie [Hussein] @ 23:
"Grass"roots? Literally, it seems :)
Leslie [Hussein] @ 25:
How?
Leslie [Hussein] @ 25:
Your right on that ... ANYTHING is better than nothing.
But I'm too hammered to care right now, too many drinks and it's after one in the morning.
perhaps later, ... when I'm straighter
G'nite good Democratic People of America.
But not to omit the republicans ... piss off and be miserable, you bigoted immoral turds.
Harry "I'll talk a good fight until it's time to DO something and then I'll cave" Reid? Really?
He's selling a book! As a Senator, he's trained to say whatever he thinks will make him look good in front of a camera and he's pandering on any show that will have him. Did you see him on the Daily Show? I've seen better animation at Disneyland.
I lost my last vestige of faith in Reid. He doesn't act like an opposition leader; more like an enabler. Good luck with getting ANY "justice" for the people while these pols are in charge. They have shown us time and time again where their true loyalties are. The DLC, not the DNC.
Bridget Jones @ 22:
ysbaddaden @ 16:
Bridget Jones @ 9:
Leslie [Hussein] @ 6:
Whatever happened to the “liberal” media? Turned into a GOP psy-ops so many years ago.
All I can say is “Thank Al Gore for the internet” (joking) so that those of us who aren’t thinking impared can have access to real news, grassroots politics, and best of all - each another.
___________________________________________________________________________
I thought grassroot politics started with NORML.
LOL. Probably so.
Someone has grassroots? :-)
_______________________________________________________________
That's what happens when you mistake your Rogaine Foam with Miracle-Grow.
Harry won't do a damned thing.
Harry Reid may hold hearings but they will be ignored by the news media, who control the information flow in this country, so he might as well not bother.
Welp, if this story wasn't justification for destroying the media industry as we know it and build it back from the ground up, I don't know what is.
26 ysbaddaden
Assassinated
MargeAggedon @ 31:
You serious? For one thing, we might learn more about it. For another thing, the MSM might be forced to report on their complicity in it. Because, so far, their silence is deafening.
Noodles @ 5:
heh heh heeeeeeeeeeee!lol
Assuming the hearings ever happen:
Harry Reid:
Pentagon:
Harry Reid:
Pentagon:
Harry Reid:
So this isn't America and hasn't been for a long time now . . . probably will never be again. We take impeachment off the table and do precisely dick. Hearings . . . bfd. Yes, this is horrid, but we are too busy fighting gay marriage and loving Jeebus to give a shit.
What is necessary is for the American people to be made aware of this illegal and incessant cheerleading.
Sadly, the govt. will be allowed to skate away from any prosecution but the knowledge of their propaganda needs to be made transparent, and only if Sen. Reid and the Honorable Henry Waxman, however tepidly, investigate and pursue this.
MargeAggedon @ 31:
Oh, and this will put the lie to the myth of the "liberal" media. How liberal can the MSM be when they're actually working for the GOP and just report Pentagon-approved press releases using Pentagon-approved experts.
come on harry ! all your going to have an old fashioned donkey roast on tv !everybody gets a piece of ass!
I think instead of saying Mainstream Media, we should start calling it what it is, the ELITIST Media.
And after viewing the responses by Reid, it seems his answers are vague and he bailed when the questions asked for specifics.
He stuck around long enough to plug his book.
Bah.
Medford Tim @ 33:
ah the good ship DLC, last seen hitting an iceberg (in denial despite water gushing in and rats jumping over board)
)
The sad thing is, Harry wore out much of the good will towards his leadership after a year or two of people giving him the benefit of the doubt while he gave them the shaft. And just like many people who finally realize they have been taken advantage of for all of their support, the result is a complete lack of trust (to say the least). Disgust is the word that comes to my mind.
odanny @ 47:
What did you think about Harry pointing to ridding Gonzalez as an accomplishment, and then ignoring the follow-up question: Has his replacement Mukasey been any better? Of course, Harry ignored this question.
ysbaddaden @ 26:
JFK was assassinated on Nov 22 of 1963, a year before the elections. LBJ filled in for 14 months. He could have run again in 1968.
Here are my previous responses to your question.
I believe the investigation when I see it.
ysbaddaden @ 34:
Flourishing, hairy grassroots!
I have no faith in Reid getting anything done. However, the small mention of Carl Levin being concerned caught my eye. That is the only person in Washington right now that I can even remotely trust. I live for televised hearings when he is on a committee - totally love the way Levin can rip someone to shreds in one brief sentence. I hear snippets here and there of what he has been trying to do, although I'm pretty sure MSM isn't going to let us know much of that.
We spent a year trying to get our adopted daughter out of Seoul and back home to start college. Our embassy in Seoul refused to speak to us (!) and Homeland Security was a laugh. Two lawyers said there was nothing we could do. I finally emailed Levin's office because there was nothing else to do. He had a student visa in her hand in ONE MONTH. All it took was one email. And, in the big scheme of things, I am a nobody. It would seem that he would have had far more pressing issues but he still took care of business for his people at home. All I had to do was ask.
Maybe I'm biased but I do think Levin is still in there swinging.
Main Objective was to " SELL THE WAR " and for Allard to claim his example of Criticizing Rumsfeld was to say " we didn't have enough troops on the ground " , we'll the half a million DEAD Iraqis would disagree , and that's like arguing how to conduct a proper home invasion , not that it's WRONG , just you just need to go about it the proper way .
Control the Message , Control the Message and thats what we got from Kurtz , De rita & Allard , a get together from the people involved with the misinformation , spin and deceit , now able to try to spin their disgraceful appearance on TV and for Allard to say he represented only TV and not the Pentagon is utter garbage , he was selling the invasion , helping the invasion and giving his opinion how to conduct a BETTER invasion .
And if Harry Reid only moves after being criticized by bloggers , you know he cares less about the issue and is just going through the motion .
It's not only what they say ( CNN's China bashing , military build up hysteria ) it's what they DON'T , DON'T say i.e. GAZA , the humanitarian disaster gets no coverage , the U.S. controlled attack on Somalia by Ethiopia gets virtually NO coverage , censored by cable and networks . Ethiopia is accused of killing civilians , raping and looting , when have you heard that from Barbara Starr on CNN , the " only embedded reporter " in the area .
I believe the complicity between CNN and the other channels is FAR, FAR worst then what we realize , that's why I don't trust a DAMN thing they say . Period .
Reid: repugs need to swear in and give a truthful account.
repugs: Go fuck yourself.
Reid: okey dokey! Have a nice day.
The End
ysbaddaden @ 26:
JFK was only in office for a thousand days. I personally do not remember the political campaigns leading to the November 1964 elections because I was serving in the Navy then.
Now as far as my thoughts on Erigenus, me, the person using the handle of the City of Saint Augustine on this blog, I like that Johannes and I share some things in our lives. We share a name and national background. It appears that he and I both enjoyed our time in France. The final link I have with Johannes is the belief that religion is not well served by philosophy. I myself subscribe to Max Dugan's belief that philosophy can be rewarding, if you have the right one.
I suspect Johannes Scotus Erigenus read a lot of Saint Augustine of Hippo's works while translating them.
Do you suppose anybody will get punished. Lord knows the Justice department under Michael Mukasey if anything is worse than under Gonzo . Mukasey have proved that the Constitution is nothing but toilet paper to these guy's. Remember all you New York Staters that Chuckie Schumer was sucking Mukasey's ass when Chuckie comes around wanting to get re-elected.
Harry Reid won't do shit.
He might wave his hands and talk a little, but a leopard doesn't change its spots.
Kahoneez @ 55:
Very well said.
I posted a link to chimpy admitting (in writing) to allowing Israelis to expand Gaza (not leave, no less) vs. another writing proclaiming Israelis should leave Gaza Strip.
Virtually no coverage. It's all about the petty US bs.
It appears chimpy refuses to deal with hard world facts, what's happening around the world or his own backyard (Katrina.) he's a foolish, ignorant, bigoted, killer, the worst president of the US president ever.
The 'Civil Assistance Plan' (northcom.mil) allows Canadian troops to assist in US domestic emergencys and vice versa.
I wonder if we will see Canadian troops on the streets of Minneapolis in September during the RNC convention ?
Reid and the Dems won't do squat , totally impotent gutless unprincipled wimps , even if the Dems cannot do anything meaningful due to the numbers in the Senate and in Congress ( and Bush's goons in the justice department ) , they should at least take a stand and show they stand for something , at least pretend that they do !
Thank goodness for Harry Reid! We need to get to the bottom of the causes for this disaster. Acropolis Review has more. http://acropolisreview.com/2008/04/senate-democrats-investigate-taxpayer...
ferrofluid, I've also been wondering why there has been nothing said about this. I heard about it a few months ago and there has been zero coverage.
Do we all live in the United States of North America now? One wonders.
Harry,
Wake me up when you cave in ..... again.
calgarylady @ 64:
Because the MSM has been complicit in it, so they're not going to cover their own complicity. In fact, they keep saying there's no there there, no story, nothing to see folks.
Not entirely sure why this surprises anyone. The FedGov has been doing psi-ops on the American people since Bush took office, and probably a lot longer.
They prosecute record producers for promoting records through pay offs to djs. "Payola".
But you can pay off tv commentators to promote a war of choice and no charges are brought?
This is a crime, and if not it should be made into a crime as soon as possible.
As for Harry Reid, what a big disappointment he is. Pelosi too. Investigations are great, but nothing ever comes of them. What is the point of issuing subpoenas (which are ignored) and having judiciary committees? Something is seriously wrong here.
Harry promises this time. Cross his heart. I'm sure a stern letter will follow.
uh huh....
Thanks for the call-out, John. My first scoop as an intrepid press corps mole!
Gee, take a bow Harry,since bending over is what you do best. Psy-ops- the method of kissing someone before you fuck them.
calgarylady @ 64:
Only if you exclude Latin-Americans.
Be still my beating fucking heart. If this gets any more serious Reid's gonna circulate a memo. That ought to teach the dirty bastards...
I've lost faith in Harry Reid years ago. He's a decent man, but he's not up to the job. We need someone who's dedicated enough to the rule of law, the Constitution and especially the unalienable rights of WE THE PEOPLE to never compromise on the must fundamental American ideals. He's not the guy...
Hey! another chapter for his book.
fuck harry reid, he lick's LIEberman's balls and we're supposed to believe ....what?
Not even ironic. pathetic.
I love the caption: CNN - PENTAGON SPIN MACHINE.
Now THAT's irony :<[)
give 'em head, harry!!
A great question when say many have.
Like who? for instance?
Can you name one?
Can you at least point a finger?
will this story be pursued and brought before the american public as it should be? Hardly, we're talking two major impediments here: if the vast majority of american public were to hear or read this, would they understand its imact? rhetorical question. And secondly, we're also talking about that last great bastion of hope truth and justice, the American Media having the internal fortitude to publicize this garbage. 'nuff said on that subject.
forgot to add, harry and nancy deserve one another, spineless cowards that they both are.
The last seconds of the interview are really telling-
The military man who spoke out against the war on the O'Reilly factor was booted from the group and stopped getting group e-mails.
That tells you RIGHT THERE that this insider's group of lobbyists were being directed to lie and those that didn't were punished.
I always knew that those brass stars up on the TV were full of it. Now it seems, they were- full of contracts for telling lies on TV.
I have to admit I don't read a great deal about JFK, because most of the books I run across concern themselves with assassination conspiracy theories.
[Deleted-Sitemonitor]
What is left in a country that arrest peacefull protesters, tasers teenagers for not using blicker, confiscants cash from retired folks because they are suspect of drug dealing. Delays trials of administration criminals for 5 years and never get any straight answers. The illegal wars and killing honest Senator and maiming another.
As far as Harry Reid planning on holding hearings on the Military Analyst story, I'll believe it when I see it, and if so, probably won't see it in the mainstream media, but on a website like Crooks and Liars.
As far as the collusion and corruption of the mainstrem media and the Pentagon feeding them what they are to print, televise, etc, GET USED TO IT, WE ARE LIVING IN A FACIST POLICE STATE.
When a few months prior to the Iraq invasion I saw bush at the podium with a smug little grin on his face saying, "Don't you see?! They have weapons of mass destruction!" I knew Iraq would be invaded. bush might as well have been saying, "Don't you see?! We are going to do exactly as we please, you maggots, and there's not a da*n thing you can do about it!" It became really obvious when the no-bid contracts were handed out, Gitmo was opened and Haebus Corpus was done away with, the Diebold machines were allowed to continue (and still haven't been fixed/disallowed), the telecoms were and ARE used to spy on our every word ILLEGALLY, etc, etc, etc.
1984 is HERE. Remember what it said in 1984? "War is peace". bush said, “I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace.”
I don't know how much more obvious it has to be. People need to adjust their way of thinking and realize that we ARE living in a police state and act accordingly, NOT that we are GOING to be living in a police state and what are we going to do about it. It's a little late for that, I'm afraid...
Harry Reid , Pelosi , Dianne Feinstein , Schumer and most the blue dog democrats need to be impeached for : impersonating a democratic official elected to uphold the constitution and perform the wishes of their voters and the American citizens...
Harry Reid is "all Mouth"..
Harry Reid is a useless piece of shit! If he's holding hearings that means he'll be giving blow jobs to the opposition!Harry and his girl friend Nancy POlosi are both 2 spineless mutha-fucka's
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