Monday, May 17, 2004
Seymour Herst, You Are Wrong Again
Sly Sy at it Again
Joel Mowbray: In a piece titled “The Gray Zone,” Hersh lays the blame for the scandal at the feet of Rumsfeld, who expanded a secret operations unit into Iraq.
Hersh leaves little doubt as to his personal conclusions: “Rumsfeld’s decision embittered the American intelligence community, damaged the effectiveness of élite combat units, and hurt America’s prospects in the war on terror.”
“Pentagon’s operation... encouraged physical coercion and sexual humiliation of Iraqi prisoners in an effort to generate more intelligence about the growing insurgency in Iraq.”
All of which sounds quite damning until the reader gets to the obligatory disclaimer.
"Rumsfeld may not be personally culpable...The former intelligence official made it clear that he was not alleging that Rumsfeld or General Myers knew that atrocities were committed.”
Did the media read Hersh’s piece very closely? The answer would seem to be “no,” because there are many questions that any semi-conscious reader would want answered before making any conclusions.
Even more troubling is that there are more than 25 quotes attributed to “former intelligence officials” and only five to current officials anywhere in government. And all, save for one public official, are anonymous.
Readers, and the media at large, would be wise to consider Hersh’s credibility in past stories.
Throughout the War on Terror, Hersh has been leading the charge of the anti-war left. In November 2001, the muckraker painted a bleak picture, leading the casual reader to believe that the U.S. might lose the campaign. The Taliban was toppled the next month.
In April 2003, Hersh attacked the military capabilities of ground forces in Iraq (blaming, guess who, Rumsfeld). A week and a half later, Saddam’s regime was no more.
The worst that the article actually alleges... is that Rumsfeld expanded a program that, unbeknownst to him, spiraled out of control.
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
THE GRAY ZONE
Pentagon Denies Rumsfeld OK'd Abuse
Seymour Hersh's Latest Investigative Report
Lynndie England: I Wasn't Ordered to Abuse Detainees
Sly Sy at it Again
Joel Mowbray: In a piece titled “The Gray Zone,” Hersh lays the blame for the scandal at the feet of Rumsfeld, who expanded a secret operations unit into Iraq.
Hersh leaves little doubt as to his personal conclusions: “Rumsfeld’s decision embittered the American intelligence community, damaged the effectiveness of élite combat units, and hurt America’s prospects in the war on terror.”
“Pentagon’s operation... encouraged physical coercion and sexual humiliation of Iraqi prisoners in an effort to generate more intelligence about the growing insurgency in Iraq.”
All of which sounds quite damning until the reader gets to the obligatory disclaimer.
"Rumsfeld may not be personally culpable...The former intelligence official made it clear that he was not alleging that Rumsfeld or General Myers knew that atrocities were committed.”
Did the media read Hersh’s piece very closely? The answer would seem to be “no,” because there are many questions that any semi-conscious reader would want answered before making any conclusions.
Even more troubling is that there are more than 25 quotes attributed to “former intelligence officials” and only five to current officials anywhere in government. And all, save for one public official, are anonymous.
Readers, and the media at large, would be wise to consider Hersh’s credibility in past stories.
Throughout the War on Terror, Hersh has been leading the charge of the anti-war left. In November 2001, the muckraker painted a bleak picture, leading the casual reader to believe that the U.S. might lose the campaign. The Taliban was toppled the next month.
In April 2003, Hersh attacked the military capabilities of ground forces in Iraq (blaming, guess who, Rumsfeld). A week and a half later, Saddam’s regime was no more.
The worst that the article actually alleges... is that Rumsfeld expanded a program that, unbeknownst to him, spiraled out of control.
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
THE GRAY ZONE
Pentagon Denies Rumsfeld OK'd Abuse
Seymour Hersh's Latest Investigative Report
Lynndie England: I Wasn't Ordered to Abuse Detainees
