Associated Press via Huffington Post: Washington, August 24, 2007.

“Shaping the Bush administration’s message on the Iraq war has taken on new fervor, just as anticipation is building for the September progress report from top military advisers.”

With news from Iraq continuing to reflect deteriorating security and a crumbling government, the Pentagon is embarking on another surge, this time in public relations, to better shape the administration’s lies …er … message. The result is a Baghdad operation that might be called a media war room.

To be sure, there is an abundance of news percolating around Baghdad and Washington. General Petraeus is about to deliver the report written for him by the White House. The National Intelligence Estimate was just leaked to the media. The General Accounting Office has an upcoming release. And with Congress back in session next month, there are sure to be some fireworks over these reports and the results of their own investigations (I hope).

So it is not all that surprising that the administration would seek to construct a new and improved platform from which to preempt the anticipated bad news from Iraq, Capital Hill, and Reality.

Dorrance Smith, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, working under Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, will manage this new facility that will be tasked with creating…

“…a central clearinghouse of information so we can pull in all that is coming out of Baghdad and Iraq and have it come into one point, so we can better be able to share it with people who are interested.”

When asked, Defense officials denied that the program was a “propaganda tool.” I wonder if the questioner expected them to say, “Of course it’s a propaganda tool. Next question.” They also denied that it was “set up to respond to the eroding public support for the war.” Now that’s an interesting statement because, while it deflects the accusation that the program’s purpose is to shape public opinion, it also concedes that public support for the war is eroding. That sort of accidental release of the truth can get a Bush flack fired post haste.

A little background: Dorrance Smith was a former ABC News producer and a media adviser to Paul Bremer, the administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. He received a recess appointment to replace Victoria Clarke as State Department spokesperson and was later confirmed by the Senate.

Gordon England, also a recess appointee, replaced Paul Wolfowitz at the State Department, whereupon he promptly hired Robert L. Earl as his Chief of Staff. Earl’s resume includes an immunized appearance before a grand jury where he testified that he had destroyed and stolen national security documents while working for Oliver North during the Iran-Contra scandal.

I can’t think of a better team to mislead the public and the press as we move into another political season of deception and obfuscation and despair for Iraqis and for America’s soldiers and their families.

The Project for Excellence in Journalism just published the results of their study of news coverage for the second quarter of 2007. Continuing the trend from the first quarter, Fox News had far less coverage than its cable competitors. Proving that it simply doesn’t consider the war in Iraq a priority, Fox’s coverage trailed CNN and MSNBC by about half.

Percent of Newshole Devoted To Iraq War on Cable News
Apr. 1, ‘07 – Jun. 29, ‘07

Last quarter Bill O’Reilly responded to the relative neglect by Fox of what is indisputably the top story in the country by saying that…

“CNN and MSNBC are actually helping the terrorists by reporting useless explosions.”

He further justified Fox’s deficient coverage by asking:

“Do you care if another bomb went off in Tikrit? Does it mean anything? No! It doesn’t mean anything.”

The callous disregard for human life exhibited by O’Reilly’s comments is more than evident and requires no response. But the fact that he employs such revolting language to defend his network’s journalistic malpractice reveals the lengths to which he and Fox will go to avoid providing their audience with a truthful account of events in the world.

By failing to properly cover the most important issues of the day, Fox is demonstrating why studies show that Fox viewers are so woefully ill-informed. They can’t decide – if Fox will not report.

The wisest course would have been for President Bush to use his nuclear weapons to slaughter Iraqis until they complied with his demands, or until they were all dead.

Believe it or not, this is exactly what Family Security Matters, a organization made up of prominent conservatives, is advocating, along with making Bush President For Life (h/t Digby). Acting as a front group for the Center for Security Policy, a right-wing think tank that promotes American world dominance through military strength, FSM features authors like Phillip Atkinson, a Contributing Editor who has written what is one of the most grotesque dissertations on American Democracy I have ever read.

But it seems that FSM has been busy scrubbing Atkinson, and perhaps other controversial articles, from their web site. Thanks to Google cache, they cannot so easily cover their repulsive tracks.

FSM describes themselves as the National Security Resource for American Families. But I’m not sure how families will benefit from trading in Democracy for tyranny. Grit your teeth and read these excerpts:

Conquering the Drawbacks of Democracy

If President Bush copied Julius Caesar by ordering his army to empty Iraq of Arabs and repopulate the country with Americans, he would achieve immediate results: popularity with his military; enrichment of America by converting an Arabian Iraq into an American Iraq

He could then follow Caesar’s example and use his newfound popularity with the military to wield military power to become the first permanent president of America, and end the civil chaos caused by the continually squabbling Congress and the out-of-control Supreme Court.

Then who would be able to stop Bush from emulating Augustus Caesar and becoming ruler of the world? For only an America united under one ruler has the power to save humanity from the threat of a new Dark Age wrought by terrorists armed with nuclear weapons.

The Barbarians Are Coming

The culture of the white Americans is being displaced by their mainly Hispanic invaders; peace and wealth created by the white American culture are being replaced by poverty and crime brought by the invaders.

The very least that must be done to halt the Hispanic invasion is the mass enslavement, or execution, of the invaders, which must be followed by an American invasion of Mexico to enforce American language and values upon the Mexicans.

The Dangers of the Liberal-Islamist Connection

[T]he Left has contempt for the average American. That is why most of the Left speaks of America as bringing immeasurable misery and sadness to the world and, essentially, as deserving attacks on it.

While it is true that the hedonistic life style of Leftists runs counter to Shariah law, many Leftists are drawn into supporting the Islamist movement. It should also be noted that Bible-believing Christians and Jews do not support Leftists’ hedonistic lifestyle.

This revolting treatise was not penned by some outlandish neo-Nazi militia group holed up in the hills of Kentucky hording guns. No, it was published on the website of an organization asserting family values and run by many of our nations most prominent mainstream conservatives.

Contine reading →