the DSM and the "conventional wisdom" brush-off..

[annabanana]

I have seen several articles dismissing the importance of the Downing St. Minutes, and subsequent memos, with the charge that
"the administration's desire for regime change was conventional wisdom at the time". That there is nothing new or interesting in these leaks from the UK.

Well I'd like to know, "conventional wisdom" among who?(whom?) Well, those of us on the blogosphere knew it. I guess it means that the corporate media knew it as well.

Well if it was conventional wisdom in the corporate media, WHY THE HELL didn't they pass the word along to the American People?

Don't let them get away with that "conventional wisdom" crap. It just proves their complicity. And it is a VERY POOR answer to the families who have lost their dear loved ones.

[radfringe]

1. "conventional wisdom"

is a term used to lend "authority" and "credibility" to a given statement, just like using the phrase "some people say....." or "undisclosed ___ source..."

part of the spin. maybe we should start demanding that names be named?

[cthrumatrix]

12. translation = "quit asking ....this is sooooo painfully obvious" that the

media protected TPTB in this illegal war.

[kaitykaity]

2. "Nothing new here. Move along."

"Everybody knew."

God, I hate these people.

[annabanana]

3. We have to keep calling them on it..

nobody else will...

[kaitykaity]

5. Yeah, I gave the Public Editor of my local fishwrap

total hell when he said in his column "everybody
knew in November 2001 of Bush's intentions" or
some such crap.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/public_editor/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1118484370150942.xml&coll=7

What about what the Thugs did to O'Neill, Clarke,
Plame???

He didn't take it well.

[annabanana]

8. You're right..

If "everybody knew".. Why such an effort to shut people up?

I hope everybody points this out wherever you see this lame-assed excuse for non-coverage pushed.

[chalky]

4. That's the one that gets to me.

Ask an average American if they knew that Bush only went to war to get Saddam out of power, that the WMD argument was all a setup, and that he never gave a rat's ass about finding Osama.

At best you would get a shocked stare. Most likely you'd get a "That's crazy".
And any freeper you'd say that to would screech like a crazed banshee.

[TomClash]

6. Here's why you are right

"Everyone knew they were for regime change" isn't the issue. It's WHY they were for regime change that matters. DSM shows that the primary reason offered by Bush was a lie, otherwise they would not need to "fix the intel" around it.

[Douglas Carpenter]

7. Still we must keep up the pressure on the media and not let up

:bounce:


Just a reminder of some very, very important links:

To sign Congressman Conyers’ letter

http://www.johnconyers.campaignoffice.com


To put and keep pressure on the Mainstream Media:

http://www.downingstreetmemo.com/takeaction.html#awaken


http://www.afterdowningstreet.org


C-SPAN Ask--them to cover the Hearing on Thursday, 16 June:

[e-mail]


Peace
O8)

Here is my standard letter to the Media:


Dear Sir/Madam:

As you know, on May 1 of this year a document now commonly referred to as “|The Downing Street Memo” was released into the British Press. These minutes of a British cabinet meeting raise serious question about how the administration was handling intelligence related to Iraq and appears to suggest that the Bush Administration had already decided on war when publicly it was claiming that no such decision had been made. Now further documents have been released in the British media which cast even further doubts.

These documents and other documents suggest that the Bush administration was determined to “fix intelligence” around a predetermined policy. Some of these documents make it clear that the administration had no credible plan for dealing with the post-war occupation.

It is most disturbing that there has been a virtual media blackout regarding “The Downing Street Minutes” and other disturbing documents.

Even more disturbing is the absence in the America media of any credible in-depth follow-up discussion or coverage regarding strong, credible and independent evidence that the Bush Administration intentionally mislead the U.S. Congress, the media and the American people.

I do hope you will accept the responsibility to address this issue and provide serious investigative journalism into this matter.

Furthermore, on Thursday June 16, 2005, Rep. John Conyers, Jr., ranking minority member of the House Judiciary Committee, and other House members will hold a hearing to consider testimony concerning the Downing Street minutes and questions of possible fixing of prewar intelligence. I do hope you will be giving full coverage to these events.

Sincerely,

[cthrumatrix]

9. now is the time to bombard them with calls and letters

[harlinchi]

10. It's not a dud; it's been daisy-chained!

Knowing something intuitively is one thing; seeing evidence of that knowledge is another entirely. It amazed me that the pundits were attempting to pooh-pooh the minutes prior to their being more commonly known, making statements claiming that the public is uninterested, that the memo is a dud, that all of the memo's assertions were known by the public (citing the preparations being made for war in advance of war), that the administrations use of intelligence has been thoroughly investigated by the two relevant commissions, etc. The problem is the claims are false.

The public, when informed become intensely interested a (500,000 signatures on a John Conyers petition demonstrate that!); the so-called dud must instead have had a time-delayed fuse, or perhaps (in a more apt analogy) have been 'daisy-chained' (or wired together) to cause spaced out explosions with greater and greater
effect, 'cause the political explosions are continuing; the assertions made by the memo were not commonly known in 2002 -- perhaps suspected by some who in voicing their suspicions became suspected traitors in the media's eyes (if the possibility of war exists, planning must be done - that does not imply that war has become a foregone conclusion, especially when the president says it has not); and the two investigating commissions (9-11 and the Senate's) were precluded from investigating 'use of intelligence' by this administration. The Senate's so-called 'Phase II' of its investigation, if y'all remember, was postponed until after the election. Sen. Roberts (the committee's chair) now says that portion is on the back burner. I'd submit the issue, in reality is off the stove entirely, cooling on some oven mitt somewhere!

[annabanana]

11. Al Franken & Brock discussing now..

same brush-off...