{"id":20702,"date":"2010-08-19T20:50:04","date_gmt":"2010-08-20T02:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=20702"},"modified":"2010-08-19T20:50:04","modified_gmt":"2010-08-20T02:50:04","slug":"the-draw-down-fanfare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2010\/08\/the-draw-down-fanfare\/","title":{"rendered":"The draw-down fanfare"},"content":{"rendered":"

The last U.S. combat brigade marched out of Iraq yesterday, symbolizing just that \u2013 the end of the combat component of Operation Iraqi Freedom. <\/em>A heartfelt and sincere thank you to all of the troops and civilians, both standing and fallen, who served so courageously over the last seven years in Iraq. Thank you. Regardless of your function, rank or file \u2013 you, our military \u2013 are the epitome of selflessness in America.<\/p>\n

Yesterday was a day to celebrate the American soldier.<\/p>\n

Instead, the American press managed to twist this all up by making the draw-down a holiday of sorts for themselves and the current administration. You know \u2013 the (liberal) pundits were able to go on and on at nauseaum about the big, bad, evil war being over. (Forget that minor dictator called Saddam Hussein and his little acts of genocide.) Of course, it was the perfect platform to once again villainize the Bush Administration.<\/p>\n

Here is a one example from yesterday. Watch here: Maddow and Olbermann<\/a><\/p>\n

Personally, I find such news coverage to be nothing short of unnecessary, narrow and borderline insulting. Live from the Green Zone, Rachel Maddow spewed her talking points straight into your living room. Did Maddow really need to start in on \u201clies\u201d the war was premised upon last night? Surely the families of the soldiers were thrilled to hear her rant about \u201cthe inhumanity of the politics\u201d that started the war in which their sons, daughters, husbands and wives so valiantly fought. (It was all very \u201cinfuriating\u201d to her, you know!)<\/p>\n

Rather than going from negative to more negative \u2013 it would have been refreshing and, indeed, more fitting to hear about:<\/p>\n