Bush eddict: no coverage of returning deaths

[nannah]

http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20031025/frontpage/132943.shtml

"This month, the Bush administration began enforcing a standing policy that forbids news coverage of killed American soldiers as their remains are returned to U.S. military bases.

Perhaps that's a nod to former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Hugh Shelton, who developed what came to be called "the Dover test."

It said if voters couldn't stand the sight of dead soldiers returning to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware -- where their coffins often were photographed being carried off military planes -- then the campaign they perished in is doomed to political failure."

The ultimate polical hypocrisy: denying soldiers who have given their lives for the country any recognition because it is politically embarrassing.

[WildClarySage]

1. Yeah,

we wouldn't want to have to see anything upsetting now would we.

[wuushew]

2. People need to realize Bush enforced a Clinton era directive

dating from 2000.

Those who demand proof need look no farther than this week's NOW with Bill Moyers.


Clinton apologists what is the deal?

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. Got a link to that factoid

Or is this another one of those urban legends?

[wuushew]

5. The Washington Post as linked from NOW

A Pentagon spokeswoman said the military-wide policy actually dates from about November 2000 -- the last days of the Clinton administration -- but it apparently went unheeded and unenforced, as images of caskets returning from the Afghanistan war appeared on television broadcasts and in newspapers until early this year. Though Dover Air Force Base, which has the military's largest mortuary, has had restrictions for 12 years, others "may not have been familiar with the policy," the spokeswoman said. This year, "we've really tried to enforce it."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55816-2003Oct20.html
http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/missednews.html

[Skittles]

17. pentagon spokespeople

:puke:

[niyad]

20. it's a PENTAGON policy--

(from the article)
President Bush's opponents say he is trying to keep the spotlight off the fatalities in Iraq. "This administration manipulates information and takes great care to manage events, and sometimes that goes too far," said Joe Lockhart, who as White House press secretary joined President Bill Clinton at several ceremonies for returning remains. "For them to sit there and make a political decision because this hurts them politically -- I'm outraged."

Pentagon officials deny that. Speaking on condition of anonymity, they said the policy covering the entire military followed a victory over a civil liberties court challenge to the restrictions at Dover and relieves all bases of the difficult logistics of assembling family members and deciding which troops should get which types of ceremonies.

One official said only individual graveside services, open to cameras at the discretion of relatives, give "the full context" of a soldier's sacrifice. "To do it at several stops along the way doesn't tell the full story and isn't representative," the official said.

[wuushew]

22. Who should i blame then?

William S. Cohen
January 24, 1997 - January 20, 2001
20th Secretary of Defense
Clinton Administration

[Spazito]

23. ROFL, this guy is a Republican so I say, yes, blame him!

*

[niyad]

24. you blame the lying wanna-be dictator who KNOWS that if the coffins were

shown lined up, he would be out of office in a heartbeat.
how difficult is this to figure out? and why are you trying to defend the indefensible?

[wuushew]

25. I am asking tough questions that need to be asked

From what Moyer's said Uncle Ronnie loved to show patriotic fallen heroes in the 80' so sometime between then and 2001 the Pentagon decided it needed a press ban for some reason.

When a freeper moran says "but Clinton made the policy" how are you going to reply? I want to know the rationale for changing a perfectly workable policy in a time of peace and prosperity, especially since at the time the next President was assumed to be Al Gore. Was the Clinton Pentagon planning on taking heavy casualties in Afghanistan?

[Spazito]

4. Clinton didn't enforce this but Bush sure did!

*

[Skittles]

15. I remember Clinton attending military funerals

this piece of shit Dubya wouldn't dare show his face

[ShaneGR]

21. bullshit

What war were we involved in back in 2000?

Do you have a link to this pontification?

[Dr Fate]

26. The deal is that BUSH is the CURRENT president...

...rather than blame Clinton, let's ask why Bush chooses t enforce this wrong-headed policy...Sorry if i refuse to go down memory lane with you, but I'd rather discuss CURRENT events...

[Rose Siding]

6. The Olympian is doing some good stuff

After WaPo Milbank did the article on this earlier this week, it wasn't picked up. This is the first additional coverage on it that I've seen.

They also broke the story about the 500 letters from soldiers who didn't write them. This was the paper that rec'd two of the letters and ran the story down.

[TreasonousBastard]

7. Shelton...

isn't that the prick who's been pissing about Clark's lack of honor?

Anyway, since Viet Nam the Pentagon has been developing ways to stifle coverage of the action. Gulf 1 had the most managed news of any war we have ever had. Up to then.

The public seems to love war, but only if it doesn't actually see any of it, or pay for it.

[Beaker]

8. The Democratic candidate needs to nail * to the wall over this-

Bush has not been to a single funeral for any of the fallen soldiers in his war to stop Sadaam from selling oil for Euros instead of Dollars.

[wuushew]

10. If you were the family would you want the one responsible at the funeral?

n/t

[Beaker]

13. I wouldn't, but I'm sure that a lot of them would.

A lot of the military families still believe, and want to believe, that their child/sibling/husband died fighting the good fight, in service to their country and their commander-in-chief. They would be deeply moved and honored by his presence at the funeral.
You can bet the farm that if Jessica Lynch had been killed during the rescue, or found dead in the hospital, that the Little Dictator would have been there.
I also wouldn't be surprised if they find reasons for him to show up at one or two, once the campaign gets rolling along, just for the photo-ops

[Mairead]

9. This needs universal news coverage. How much do you think it'll get?

I'm betting zero

[the_real_38]

11. this didn't appear on the major news wires....

.... a European friend of mine told me about it - got it from a site in England. White-wash.

I have to say this every time I see something like this on dead young men in this war - "God forgive us for sending George W Bush to the White House. "

[eyeontheprize]

12. It did run in the Washington Post this week.

but the story didn't have legs.

What is ironic about this policy is it works. Bush is up in the latest polls, the public hasn't a clue of what is going on, not even the faintest.

When will it end?

[Skittles]

16. I'd like to welcome you to the DU, eyeontheprize

I hope the prize is true democracy. :hi:

[eyeontheprize]

18. Thanks

I tried to come up with an optimistic screen name, but I’m not feeling very optimistic these days.

[SOS]

14. While our media is blacked-out

you can get full coverage on European TV.
Try NWI if you can get that on your local cable system.
Excellent coverage on combat soldiers bodies returning to the US. You will receive respectful, non-political coverage.
This is the equivalent of Radio Free Europe. When the press is muzzled as it was in the former East Bloc, many people there got their news from RFE. Now it is we Americans who need outside reporting to find out what is happening here. Maybe the EU could set up a Radio Free America to keep us informed?

[Nlighten1]

19. Do we have any DU'ers that live near Dover AFB?

Maybe they can take a camera out there and do the job the media won't do.