Washblog

"...These men are familiar to the public, presented on TV and radio as "military analysts" who give authoritative and unfettered judgments about the post-Sept. 11 world. Behind that appearance of objectivity, though, is a Pentagon information apparatus that has used those analysts to generate favorable news coverage of the administration's wartime performance, an examination has found.

The effort, which began with the buildup to the Iraq war and continues now, has sought to exploit ideological and military allegiances, and a powerful financial dynamic: Most of the analysts have ties to military contractors vested in the war policies they are asked to assess.

Those relationships hardly ever are disclosed to viewers and sometimes not to the networks. But collectively, the men on the plane and several dozen other military analysts represent more than 150 military contractors either as lobbyists, senior executives, board members or consultants. The companies scramble for hundreds of billions in military business generated by the administration's war on terrorism..."

To his credit, Barstow does "name names" by divulging the specifics of things that many of us only speculated on or guessed at.

"... The trip also represented a business opportunity: direct access to the most senior civilian and military leaders in Iraq and Kuwait, including many with a say in how the president's $87 billion would be spent.

Information and access of this nature had undeniable value for trip participants such as William Cowan and Carlton Sherwood.

Cowan, a Fox analyst and retired Marine colonel, was the chief executive of a new military firm, the wvc3 Group. Sherwood was its executive vice president. At the time, the company was seeking contracts worth tens of millions to supply body armor and counterintelligence services in Iraq..."


and this...

""We knew we had extraordinary access," said Timur Eads, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and Fox analyst who is vice president of government relations for Blackbird Technologies, a fast-growing military contractor.

Like several other analysts, Eads said he at times had held his tongue on television for fear that "some four-star could call up and say, 'Kill that contract.' "He said he believed Pentagon officials misled analysts about the progress of Iraq's security forces. "I know a snow job when I see one," he said. He did not share this on TV..."

And then there were those who simply shared the neo-con philosophy of Muslim conquest:

"Two of NBC's most prominent analysts, Barry McCaffrey and the late Wayne Downing, were on the advisory board of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, an advocacy group created with White House encouragement in 2002 to help make the case for ousting Saddam Hussein. Both men also had consulting firms and sat on the boards of major military contractors..."

Now here's the thing - while this story is supposed to be an "expose" on how the Pentagon used these former military men to deceive the American public, I think that the more despicable culprits here are the commercial media who have an obligation to provide reliable and factual "news" to the public. Barstow writes that many of these "news organizations" were unaware of the lobbying efforts and defense contracting companies that these con-men operated.  I simply do not accept that notion. One of the most critical facts that a reporter should determine is "Who Is My Source - What Does He Have to Gain From His Story?" Instead, in the rush to ratings in "war coverage" the commercial media simply chose to close their eyes and repeat the administration line.

I guess I'm glad that this "story" has been confirmed but, if you find this to be "news" you simply haven't been paying attention.

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue