USA TODAY Sucks!!! DSM Report is a Joke

[JRob]

I'm so tired of the American media tip-toeing around ButchCo...

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/060905Z.shtml

The article talks about how slowly the US Media took to the story and, by far the most disgusting part is how they (more or less) dismiss the validity of the DSM toward the end of a very short piece. They barely mention Conyers and Democrats.com but do not give the impression that there is a lot of outrage over or knowledge of the memo in this country at all:

-snip-
"Robin Niblett of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, says it would be easy for Americans to misunderstand the reference to intelligence being "fixed around" Iraq policy. " 'Fixed around' in British English means 'bolted on' rather than altered to fit the policy," he says."

and of course this...

-snip-
"USA TODAY chose not to publish anything about the memo before today for several reasons, says Jim Cox, the newspaper's senior assignment editor for foreign news. "We could not obtain the memo or a copy of it from a reliable source," Cox says. "There was no explicit confirmation of its authenticity from (Blair's office). And it was disclosed four days before the British elections, raising concerns about the timing."

Pathetic! What's worse is the circulation of this paper throughout the country and the potential impact it has on people attitudes about this issue...

[doodadem]

1. I think the British people certainly know what "fixed around"

means! They don't need USA Today to interpret for them. That's why these minutes were so explosive in Britain.
GREAT 'toon, BTW.

[SnoopDog]

2. Since no WMD were found and no ties to AL-Ciada...

Their interpretation is wrong.

No, these pricks fabricated evidence to start the war. Simple as that.

[Dudley_DUright]

3. Billmon (Whiskey Bar) had a great snarking comment about

the US Today "coverage" of the DSM.

But of course, the consensus editorial decision was to bury the question, and the pathetic lies it elicited, at the bottom of the "Bush Vows to Save Africa For Just Pennies a Day" stories. The Post's main contribution to the coverage was Milbank's A-8 apologia. The LA Times buried it, as did the Chicago Tribune. The USA Today reporter -- a servile, Bush-licking hack named Rich Benedetto -- gave it exactly one paragraph, although for McPaper I suppose that qualifies as saturation coverage.

http://billmon.org/archives/001884.html

[KurtNYC]

4. And apparently "Mission Accomplished" has a different meaning

in the middle of the Pacific than it does in Iraq.

English is such a tricky language. :eyes:

[EarlG]

5. "'Fixed around' in British English means 'bolted on'..."

Pardon me, but this Englishman calls that claim A LOAD OF BOLLOCKS.

[EarlG]

7. And another thing

Even if that's what they're claiming - that this whole thing is just a misunderstanding over the use of language - how does it make the situation any better?

So the intelligence wasn't altered to fit the policy, it was merely "bolted on" to the policy. That still means that they had the policy (invading Iraq) first, and the intelligence (WMDs) was added later to make it happen.

Paul Wolfowitz http://www.veteransforpeace.org/WMD_just_a_053003.htm">already admitted this in 2003: "for bureaucratic reasons, we settled on one issue – weapons of mass destruction – because it was the one reason everyone could agree on."

But Bush has denied this all along. He's lied to Congress, to the American people, and to the world.

[JRob]

9. and as has been pointed out...

if indeed there is some definition issue and it's no big deal, why are the Brits so pissed about it???

[gizmonic]

12. This English gal thinks it's rubbish, too

The Bushies couldn't organize a piss-up in a brewery

F*ckin' wankers -- all of 'em

:grr:

[racaulk]

6. USA Today is garbage!

I don't think it's worth the paper it's printed on, and I've felt that way for a long time. So I'm not surprised at all by their "coverage" of the DSM. How very typical.

And I love your cartoon as well. What a clever way to sum up the current state of the corporate media! I also found it very fitting that "W" is scratching the head of "Fox News." :rofl:

[JRob]

8. extremely fitting...

[Al-CIAda]

10. This excuse, much like the many others, is an insult to thinking people.

In case after case, it is the bloggers who report, and the 'reporters' who cover-up and enable the Christo-fascists.

[katinmn]

11. Looks like they can't admit a terrible mistake or

error in judgement.

Also, it's BS that they couldn't get a copy of the memo from a reliable source. That's a fabrication. And as for not getting corroboration from Blair's office: what did they expect? Blair got caught in a lie and he's trying to avoid talking about it.

It just goes to show that they only print what those in power tell them to print.