As the war in Iraq continues into its fourth year, and with a majority of the American public beginning to have doubts about its chances for success, supporters of the war have begun arguing that the media coverage has been unfair and has not portrayed the true situation in Iraq.
Although there certainly is a degree of truth in these assertions, what the Bush administration is suffering from might not necessarily be just a consistent flow of bad press from Iraq, but a larger credibility gap with an unhappy electorate that is fed up with partisanship and spin politics.
On the issue of the media coverage in Iraq, war supporters are correct in advocating a more balanced news reporting, particularly the advancement of the economic development throughout Iraq. It seems that the media's penchant for sensationalism is consistent in all aspects of their reporting, and in the one sector that media conglomerates really care about (ratings), it seems that portraying violence has universally been the biggest draw.
But at the same time, critics of the press must recognize that over eighty journalists have died in Iraq since the war began, and, being civilians, they are especially susceptible to attack by insurgents. One could argue that the reason the media fails to do more positive news stories is because the situation on the ground is still too dangerous for journalists to do freelance work. If taking a news van anywhere you wanted in Iraq was possible, Fox News would be doing it every day.
Nonetheless, what has been happening in regard to public opinion has been the result of a growing unease throughout the American public. For about three years the public has been subject to misinformation and mistakes, which has led them to act with a stroke of cynicism when the President attempts to urge support for the war.
In principle, Bush is correct to advocate reaffirming our military presence in Iraq.
Immediate withdrawal would be incredibly irresponsible and would burn the last vestige of American credibility that we have left in the world. And while Bush is correct on this point, the numerous mistakes of his administration and the continuous spin they have provided has hurt their cause and is further influencing the negative perception of the war by the American public.
Before the war started, it was said that it would not be a prolonged conflict, the war would pay for itself through revenue from Iraqi oil and that a populace would accept the American military presence and would welcome us.
One could easily point out the various mistakes and failures at the outset of the war concerning troop levels, massive fraud with reconstruction monies and the breakdown of order in early stages of the war to refute such claims, but the administration has been keeping the public on edge with statements such as last throes
light at the end of the tunnel and various promises about how each election was going to be the big turning point.
But the violence has persisted. And at times even intensified.
In a sense, the administration is getting a degree of poetic justice that each politician should experience at least once. Live by spin, die by spin. But we're talking about a war, not some domestic policy. Therefore, it is irresponsible to wish for the failure of the war in Iraq and the further death of American soldiers and Iraqi civilians.
And while my feelings of ambivalence towards this conflict has remained the same since the beginning, I am prepared to be proven wrong on my negative assertions if it is for the betterment of the cause.
Nonetheless, both sides of the political aisle would do well to be intellectually honest in this discussion. But it seems that there are too many people on the Left who are busy comparing Bush to Hitler, and right-wing hacks like Sean Hannity are too busy calling liberalism a mental disorder (ironic because Bush's mission in Iraq is liberalism).
Occasionally, the public hears someone ask, Where are the Washingtons and Jeffersons of Iraq?
Personally, I wonder where the Washingtons and Jeffersons of this American generation are. 17
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Thomas Hill
