Iraq War = not necessary, a serious strategic blunder – US News Media = complicit enablers in the manipulation of the public (the propaganda campaign) – George W. Bush turned away from candor and honesty when those qualities were most needed.

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Scott McClellan

Check what he wrote on Katrina and on Condoleeza Rice.

And, now, the clincher:

[Scott McClellan] does not exempt himself from failings — “I fell far short of living up to the kind of public servant I wanted to be” — and calls the news media “complicit enablers” in the White House’s “carefully orchestrated campaign to shape and manipulate sources of public approval” in the march to the Iraq war in 2002 and 2003.

More in The Politico – (3 pages)

History appears poised to confirm what most Americans today have decided: that the decision to invade Iraq was a serious strategic blunder. No one, including me, can know with absolute certainty how the war will be viewed decades from now when we can more fully understand its impact. What I do know is that war should only be waged when necessary, and the Iraq war was not necessary. […]

The collapse of the administration’s rationales for war, which became apparent months after our invasion, should never have come as such a surprise. … In this case, the ‘liberal media’ didn’t live up to its reputation. If it had, the country would have been better served. […]

I still like and admire President Bush. But he and his advisers confused the propaganda campaign with the high level of candor and honesty so fundamentally needed to build and then sustain public support during a time of war. … In this regard, he was terribly ill-served by his top advisers, especially those involved directly in national security.I still like and admire President Bush. But he and his advisers confused the propaganda campaign with the high level of candor and honesty so fundamentally needed to build and then sustain public support during a time of war. … In this regard, he was terribly ill-served by his top advisers, especially those involved directly in national security. […]

More from AJC.

Let&#8217-s create a prediction market on who&#8217-ll be the next former White House official who will sell Bush down the river.

UPDATE:

NBC News

AP

NBC News

Tim Russert

Jessica Yellin

Today

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4 thoughts on “Iraq War = not necessary, a serious strategic blunder – US News Media = complicit enablers in the manipulation of the public (the propaganda campaign) – George W. Bush turned away from candor and honesty when those qualities were most needed.

  1. Esinam Shop said:

    Thing is, everyone knew this media manipulation was going on, is continuing to go on, that the original premises for the war was all lies… and still nothing is done about it. Bring back hung, drawn and quatered !

  2. La Verdad said:

    When it’s all over (1-20-09) somebody’s ass has to fry.  Start with Cheney and Bush, and then get the people who co-signed the bullsh*t.  McClellan and Powell were the smart ones; they got wise and stopped selling bullsh*t. 

  3. Esinam Shop said:

    Thing is, everyone knew this media manipulation was going on, is continuing to go on, that the original premises for the war was all lies… and still nothing is done about it. Bring back hung, drawn and quatered !

  4. La Verdad said:

    When it’s all over (1-20-09) somebody’s ass has to fry.  Start with Cheney and Bush, and then get the people who co-signed the bullsh*t.  McClellan and Powell were the smart ones; they got wise and stopped selling bullsh*t. 

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