Yeah, I know I go on and on about the bias of the MSM but what can I do. It bug’s me so I just keep writing about it.
Ok then, if you checked out the Washington Post yesterday you would of read a article entitled “Bush Says Election Ratified Iraq Policy”. As Belmont Club noted, the BBC, CBS, AFP, MSNBC, and a host of other media outlets all ran with the same sort of byline. But what did he really say during the interview:
The Post: In Iraq, there’s been a steady stream of surprises. We weren’t welcomed as liberators, as Vice President Cheney had talked about. We haven’t found the weapons of mass destruction as predicted. The postwar process hasn’t gone as well as some had hoped. Why hasn’t anyone been held accountable, either through firings or demotions, for what some people see as mistakes or misjudgments?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we had an accountability moment, and that’s called the 2004 election. And the American people listened to different assessments made about what was taking place in Iraq, and they looked at the two candidates, and chose me, for which I’m grateful.
Listen, in times of war, things don’t go exactly as planned. Some were saying there was no way that Saddam Hussein would be toppled as quickly as we toppled him. Some were saying there would be mass refugee flows and starvation, which didn’t happen. My only point is, is that, on a complicated matter such as removing a dictator from power and trying to help achieve democracy, sometimes the unexpected will happen, both good and bad.
And the point is, there has to be a flexible strategy that will enable our commanders on the ground and our diplomats to be able to adjust strategy to meet the needs on the ground, all aiming at an eventual goal, which is a free and democratic Iraq, not in our image, in their image, according to their customs. See, we haven’t been — we’ve been there — sovereignty was transferred in June of 2004. So this has been a sovereign nation in its new form for less than a year. I’m optimistic about it, and so are a lot of other people who were there in Iraq –optimistic about that, being optimistic about the emergence of a free government.
I’m also mindful that it takes a while for democracy to take hold. Witness our own history. We weren’t — we certainly were not the perfect democracy and are yet the perfect democracy. Ours is a constitution that said every man — a system that said every man was equal, but in fact, every man wasn’t equal for a long period of time in our history. The Articles of Confederation were a bumpy period of time. And my only point is, is that I am realistic about how quickly a society that has been dominated by a tyrant can become a democracy. And therefore, I am more patient than some, but also mindful that we’ve got to get the Iraqis up and running as quickly as possible, so they can defeat these terrorists.
Seems he said a bit more then “hey, the people elected me so I must be right”. No, he said that in war there will be mistakes made. Do people really think that everything went right during WWII, Korea, Vietnam, hell even the Revolution? No, I think most reasonable people know that no leader can be 100% right and recognize that fact. Does he need to admit them? Hell no. A real leader moves on and does everything he can to prevent that mistake from happening again. That is what our President is doing and will do. But as usual the MSM will take one sentence and leave out everything out to make a sensational story. But they ain’t bias right?
Typical bullshit from the MSM. Over at Machias Privateer he has a great post giving a example of the bias
Chicago vs. Iraq Murder Rates – Recapitulation Here in Chicago, they are celebrating a reduction of the murder rate to 450 murders in 2004 for a population of 2.8 million! Since Iraq has about 25 million people, at the same per capita rate, they would have 11 murders per day. It seems nearly every murder in Iraq makes the news!
Picture the Iraqi ?insurgency? as a gang turf war, the insurgents vs. the Iraqi police with the Americans taking the role of the cops. It is quite dangerous to be in either gang! But the ordinary citizen tends to stay out of the line of fire. A massive police presence will cause the gangbangers to hide. So with a strong presence on 1/30/05, the election should come off well, just as in Afghanistan! But that puts the citizens in the government camp! Looks like the insurgents are going to lose the turf war!
But is this the way the media covers the situation? No! A Fox News Report, it reads…
?In Baghdad, meanwhile, three mortar shells exploded Saturday near the heavily guarded Green Zone (search), causing no casualties but sending American and Iraqi officials scurrying for cover. It marked the third straight day of rebel attacks on the zone, the nerve center of the U.S. and Iraqi administration, after a lull of a couple of weeks.?
It should read something like this ?In Baghdad, with population 5 million people, three spitballs were thrown near the heavily guarded Green Zone, causing no casualties but annoying American and Iraqi officials. It marked the third straight day of ?insurgent? attacks on the zone, the nerve center of the U.S. and Iraqi administration, after a lull of a couple of weeks.?
Here is some unrefuted reporting from the New York Times which shows that Iraq had 202 murders in 14 days or 14.4 per day! Iraqi population estimates vary, but for comparison purposes Chicago (at 450 confirmed murders in 366 days with a population of 2.8 million) had .439 murders per million per day. The two would be equal if Iraq’s population was 32,858,867 people! Population estimates vary but about 25 million people live in Iraq. Therefore, the streets of Iraq are about as safe as the streets of Chicago though in both places there are some tough neighborhoods and you might not wish to be a member of particular organizations! The Iraqi trend is going down faster than Chicago’s. Here are the links to Chicago murder statistics. Note that there can be minor adjustments over time so that the exact number will vary as cases are cleared.
2001 – 665 Article
2002 – 646 Article
2003 – 600 Article
2003 (Revised) 599 – Article
2004 – 445 (through 12-28-04) Preliminary Total – 450 Article
I wonder what Rahm Emanuel and Dick Durbin will say about that?
Are they reporting any of the good news? Nope, so bloggers such as Chrenkoff has to do it for them:
Iraqi women, who due to past bloodshed constitute a clear majority of Iraqi population, are looking forward to building a better future through the democratic process. According to the latest poll conducted by Women for Women International in Baghdad, Mosul and Basra, “94% of women surveyed want to secure legal rights for women; 84% of women want the right to vote on the final constitution; [and] nearly 80% of women believe that their participation in local and national councils should not be limited.” As the report notes, “the most unexpected result of the survey is that despite increasing violence, particularly violence against women, 90.6% of Iraqi women reported that they are hopeful about their future.”
Other sections of Iraqi society are also excited about the coming election. On the streets of Baghdad, democracy makes more converts:
“Just months ago, Fattahlah Ghazi al-Esmaili was penning articles in support of Iraq’s Shi’ite uprising as editor for Ishriqat, a newspaper for rebel cleric Sheik Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi’s Army militia.
“Now the 38-year-old has abandoned his Arab head scarf for a neat beige suit and is out pumping the flesh in his run for parliament at the head of a 180-candidate list representing the impoverished Shi’ites of Sadr City.
” ‘Before, we were men of the Mahdi’s Army. Now we are men of politics,’ says the journalist, who goes by the pen name Fattah al-Sheikh. ‘Yesterday, we were out on the streets. Today, we are here campaigning, and hopefully tomorrow, we’ll be in the presidential palace’.”
Nope, didn’t read or hear any of this from the MSM. Guess what, even the UN is optimistic
The United Nations representative is optimistic about the prospects of the election:
“Day after day, Carlos Valenzuela faces the same question: Can legitimate elections take place amid the chaos and bedlam that is contemporary Iraq? ‘I say, “Of course,”‘ says the soft-spoken Colombian who is the chief U.N. electoral officer in Iraq. ‘Look,’ he continues from his tiny office in this fearful capital’s fortified Green Zone, ‘in my own country we have elections that are not perfect, that have been marred by violence and terrible intimidation. But still people go to the polls. And still the results are accepted as legitimate’.”
Hmmm, the UN…that corrupt organization is a little optimistic but is MSM? Did they report this?
A. Heather Coyne, who runs the U.S. Institute of Peace programs is Baghdad, notes some hopeful signs in the work to rebuild Iraq’s civil society:
“- Potential Iraqi leaders continue to apply for the institute’s seminars. More than 90% of those who sign up actually attend, even though participation in the program could mark them for death as collaborators.“- When the institute suggests to Iraqis that Americans could help with such things as ethnic outreach for drafting the constitution or an interfaith dialogue, Iraqis often say they already are performing such tasks.
“- Students applying for Fulbrights no longer confine themselves to subjects that were safe under Saddam, such as medicine and science. ‘Among the youth, both Kurds and Arabs, there is enthusiasm for politics,’ notes Phebe Marr, an Iraq scholar and a senior fellow at the institute.
“- Relations among Kurds, Sunnis, and Shia are as bad as they have been in decades, Marr concedes. Yet residents in Kirkuk, which the Kurds lust after, are determined to avoid sectarian violence. They want a peaceful resolution concerning control of the city. And both the Kurds and Shia have resisted retaliating against the numerous horrific provocations from the Sunnis. Many international observers thought such a level of good faith and determination to avoid civil war was impossible.
“- Groups are coalescing on the basis of interests, not ethnic background. Women’s groups often look to link forces with other women’s groups, for example, and whether a group is Kurdish, Sunni, or Shia doesn’t even come up, Coyne says. Issues of ethnicity tend to arise over specific matters, Serwer notes. Sunnis oppose complete removal of Baathists from government because the largely Sunni Baathists have the experience to run the country. But the Shia want the Baathists out because they ran roughshod over the Shia when the Baathists were in power.”
I think your getting my point. As usual, Chrenkoff as a whole lot more…much much more so go check it out. The Sundries Shack has a excellent post about the MSM jackels and their bias also. Political Musings, and Wizbang have a some info on this topic also. So in closing, MSM…you can kiss my ass.
See author page
