WASHINGTON POST DOES IT AGAIN!

On April 10, 2006, in an article titled “U.S. Military Plays Up Role of Zarqawi”, the Washington Post accused the military of magnifying the role of Abu Musabat al Zarqawi in Iraq in order to help the Bush administration justify the war in Iraq by linking Saddam Hussein with al Qaeda. The article is based in part on a quote from Col. Derek Harvey, an officer on the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a meeting that took place LAST SUMMER (2005) in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas! Why would anybody dredge up a statement made that long ago to lend credence to an article in April 2006, in view of the dramatic flare-up of the insurgent problem just since the Iraqi elections in December, months after the meeting at Ft. Leavenworth?

I have three problems with this article.

First, the facts related to Zarqawi as presented by the military prove the Post article is without basis. Everyone should read the American Forces Information Service news article titled “Zarqawi, al Qaeda Threaten Iraq, Military Spokesman Says”, by Steven Donald Smith. This article points out that Zarqawi and al Qaeda have openly declared war on the democratic process in Iraq, and that they have recruited, trained, and equipped more than 90% of the suicide attackers who have injured or killed thousands of Iraqis in the past year. This is a fact, not hearsay as the Post indicated.

Second, the Post article implies that propaganda is bad, and is a tool that should not be used by our military or the United States government. Webster’s dictionary defines propaganda as “information or ideas methodically spread to promote or injure a cause, movement, nation, etc; the particular doctrines or principles propagated by an organization or movement”. The heart of capitalism and our election process are very dependent on propaganda. My take on this is if the information used is based on fact, it is good. However, I must add: if it was illegal to put out false information, many politicians, like John Kerry, who lied and propagated false information about our military in Vietnam and in Iraq, would be in jail and not in Congress!

Third, the Post article opened by saying that the military overstated al Zarqawi’s importance in helping the Bush administration link the war in Iraq to al Qaeda. I do not understand their point. Zarqawi is a member of al Qaeda, and he is in Iraq. The Washington Post is just pushing their own agenda once more, and not reporting the facts. They are trying to make something out of nothing, and hurting our military and the war effort in the process, without just cause.