Missouri’s senior senator accuses the news media of being a megaphone for the enemy in Iraq.
Senator Bond recalls watching the war news recently on television and tells colleagues in the Senate anybody seeing what he saw would be convinced the United States is losing the war in Iraq and the terrorists are winning. But Bond says there has been significant progress in Iraq. He fears, however, that the United States is losing the war on information.
He cites an e-mail from a young man saying the bloody incidents get reported, but victories, progress and stability in the new Iraq are missing from reports in the print and broadcast media. Bond says that young man has it right. He says the war for public opinion is not just critical in Iraq; it’s critical for the overall war on terror. He says the terrorists know they can only win by influencing public opinion in the United States. And he says recent actions by Congress indicate the terrorists might not be far off base.
Bond says resolutions calling for American withdrawal or delaying funding for the war are sending a message to the enemy that if they hang on long enough, the United States will pull out. Bond says some members of Congress and the media are unduly influenced by the nation’s enemy.
But he says the truth is that America’s soldiers are making progress in the war on terror. He says they deserve support in winning the hearts and minds of people around the world…and at home.