The Media’s ‘Irreparable Harm’ to our soldiers and to the Iraqi people

By Mary MacElveen

November 28, 2006

While I wish to congratulate NBC news for labeling this war over in Iraq a ‘Civil War’, it does not take back the irreparable harm done upon the Iraqi people as well as our soldiers.  The reason I chose the terminology of irreparable harm is because that was the phrase used in the Bush V. Gore case in which a the counting of votes during that presidential campaign would be seen as an “irreparable harm to George W. Bush”.

On Election Day of 2000 many within the news media should have been unbiased.  They should have let the process of vote counting to go forward instead of systematically labeling the Gore campaign as being a sore loser. The state of Florida should not have been called for Bush since there were still so many outstanding ballots yet to be counted.  One of the first news networks to intercede was NBC who at first called the state of Florida for Vice President Al Gore one minute and then later on called it for George W. Bush.

In the Catholic faith if one sins, they go to confession and ask for forgiveness of ones sins.  It is at that point after confessing the sinner receives absolution through penance.  I think it is about time that the media looks inwardly, confesses to all of us their many sins and does its fair share of penance.  Well that is just my Polly Anna thinking coming out.

When George W. Bush became the candidate for the Republican Party, many knew deep down in our guts that we would yet face another war somewhere within that region.  That is all that the Bush’s seem to be able to deliver and that is war.  Well we turned out to be right and those in the media that have pumped this administration up or turned a blind-eye to their deceit, owe every single American an apology.  They especially owe an apology to the families left behind whose sons and daughters lost their lives in this war of lies.  They owe an apology to the Iraqi people for not holding this administration accountable and falling for Karl Rove’s ‘Swift Boat’ tactics.

When Ari Fleisher (former Press Secretary to Bush) warned the media after 9/11 in which he said, “Watch what you say”, the media should have had the back bone to confront that sentiment coming from the White House.  I also hold accountable every single journalist that has marched goose step behind the Bush administration and acted as a propaganda machine while innocent people were targeted.

Folks like Limbaugh, Hannity, O’Reilly, and Coulter should all be held to account in any wrath that comes from the American people now that this war has been labeled a civil war.

Tonight on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Keith Olbermann was interviewing Arianna Huffington concerning the millions that will be raised for the Bush library after he leaves office.  The number that floated out there during this interview was a half a billion dollars.  Do I feel that he even deserves one built?  Not on your life since he has systematically taken the lives of an unfathomable number during his presidency.  The millions raised should go to the soldier’s families, those veterans that returned home maimed for life and funds sent to the Iraqi people to help them.  They will need our moral support coming for decades to come.

Now that Iraq has been labeled a civil war, one has to wonder if progress has been made in building Bush's Baghdad Palace.  Considering the fact that Baghdad is burning up before our eyes, one must ask what the status of this embassy is.  The price tag of this American embassy is $592 million dollars.  As reported in the Nation Magazine the, “American Embassy being built in Baghdad. Surrounded by fifteen-foot-thick walls, almost as large as the Vatican on a scale comparable to the Mall of America” The funding for this immense embassy was slipped through when the GOP led senate passed an $82 billion dollar war appropriations bill back in September of 2005.  Whatever the status is as it relates to its construction, our only moral choice at this point is to at some point hand it over to the Iraqi people so that they can use it as a crisis center in helping them deal with the chaos brought upon them all by the Bush administration.

Perhaps as you read this piece, you can contact incoming Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi and suggest that we hand this monstrosity over to the Iraqi people.

As President Bush makes his way back to that region, it is he that should do the listening instead of dictating.  Reuters reported the following statements coming from Jordan’s King Abdullah in which he said, “United States must also look at the "big picture" and seek comprehensive Middle Eastern solutions involving all regional players, he said -- indicating this should include Syria and Iran.”

King Abdullah also stated, “The Middle East is on the verge of three civil wars -- in Iraq, Palestinian territories and Lebanon -- unless strong action is taken urgently by the international community,” This is where I feel that King Abdullah and not President Bush should be the point man.  I just do not think that the Arab world trusts us at this point and nor should they.

Reuters also reported King Abdullah’s warnings, “if a regional peace process did not develop shortly, "there won't be anything to talk about" and the Middle East would face another decade or two of violence.” It is at this point that the Bush administration should be told to shut up, sit down and the tables turned in which the Arab world dictates back to Bush on how to end this civil war.

Even Joe Scarborough reiterated Senator John F. Kerry’s words on his show tonight, “Who will be the last soldier to die for a mistake” and that is what the American people should rise up and ask every single elected official.  This war was a mistake right from the start.

The Supreme Court decision in Bush V. Gore was also a mistake and I will go to my grave believing that had they stayed out, we would have seen a President Gore during these past six years.  I will go to my grave believing that 9/11 would not have happened, because unlike a deceitful and ignorant Bush, a President Gore would have paid attention to the warnings.  We would not be witnessing a region blowing up before our eyes under a Gore administration.  Point after point, Al Gore was right and Bush was wrong within these past six years.  I also think that the media owes Al Gore an apology for ridiculing him during his campaign.  I do not care whether or not he was wooden or stiff as they claimed.  I think the American people were owed intelligence and honesty coming from their president and as we have seen we have gotten neither.

At this point what the media can do is not concentrate on who will be the presidential candidates come 2008 since we owe not only our soldiers and the Iraqi people some form of justice.  The media must get it right this time and stick to the issues at hand.  While others have formed their own opinions of who the next president shall be, I too have formed mine.  That candidate will not govern with an iron fist, but give the American people a chance to breathe for once as well as the rest of the world.  He will also act as a calming affect in which diplomacy will come first before bombs.