Newspapers sent same letter signed by different soldiers

[Lori Price CLG]

Click here

Letters from hometown soldiers describing their successes rebuilding Iraq have been appearing in newspapers across the country as U.S. public opinion on the mission sours.

But many of them are the same form letter.

A Gannett News Service search found identical letters in 11 newspapers.
(USA Today version of story)

-Lori Price

[Heddi]

1. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=160905

[Patriot_Spear]

2. Dupe...sorry n/t

[Lori Price CLG]

3. OK, emphasizing it now hit USA Today...

-Lori

[Rose Siding]

4. Ugh! This report has new stuff in it

This DoD guy is saying how nice, more or less!

snip>
Whitman, a spokesman for the Defense Department, said he was not aware of any coordinated campaign among troops to send letters supportive of the war back home. But Whitman said he would not be surprised, because many U.S. troops are discouraged that not enough positive news is being reported.
end snip>

How Does He Think The Troops Are Learning What Is On The News HERE???

[Rose Siding]

5. AZ and CA papers have the story now

and earlier, it was heard on CBS News Radio.

Good news for those of us who sent it around yesterday :)

With Bush making the rounds of local TV and newspaper interviews this week, bypassing mass media as reported by the Independent, maybe this will gain greater interest. The very method of sending all the letters to hometown papers fits with his stated strategy!

[VolcanoJen]

6. Kick - Significant New Information in this Article

:dem:

[gratuitous]

7. Did we send a class of third graders over to Iraq?

That's the only explanation I can think of.

[leftchick]

8. CNN Covered it this AM!

I just caught the end of it. They actually covered it, I am shocked!

[Rose Siding]

9. Thy've been doing this for a month!

snip>
The letter or excerpts from it also ran last month in newspapers in Charleston, W.Va.; Utica, N.Y.; Boston; Jersey City, N.J.; Moriarty, N.M.; Connellsville, Pa.; Lewistown, Mont.; Urbanna, Va.; and Tulare, Calif.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/news/stories/20031012/localnews/442014.html

I won't vouch for the credibility of this reporter- I don't know how they would have gotten this exclusive and disturbing detail:
snip>
One soldier, who asked not to be identified, said he was reluctant to sign the letter because he did not agree with the comments in the letter but said he was ordered by a superior officer to sign.

"When I'm given an order, I obey it," he said.

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_3249.shtml

[Barrett808]

10. Moonie Times has a blurb

http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20031013-063813-6856r.htm

[0007]

11. In the Odessa American this Sunday

But that's no big surprise.

[janx]

12. This is some seriously BAD propaganda.

Whose idea was this?

[skip fox]

13. Freakin' idiots!

One of the great things about our opponents is that they think we are as dump and vile (truth be know, deep down, etc.) as they are.

[skip fox]

14. kick

:bounce:

[Barrett808]

15. Conservative spin from Instapundit

"With so much good news coming firsthand from Iraq, there's no need to fake it..."
http://www.instapundit.com/archives/011955.php

Also see coverage at AntiWar:
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/j101303.html

Cursor
http://www.cursor.org/

Counterspin Central
http://counterspin.blogspot.com/

[skip fox]

16. Instapundit??? In-freakin'-credible!

To quote W., "Geez."