So there is this little story going around that has the Left up in arms. Apparently, the Pentagon has been paying Iraqi broadcasters to run good stories about what we are doing over in Iraq. Am I the only one who doesn’t understand why this is a bad thing? It’s not like they are making stuff up, say like CBS – “Fake but accurate” memos or like CNN and Agent Orange.

Nope. These are stories about schools and hospitals and clean water and sanitation. Damn, our guys are EVIL!

Rob over at the esteemed File It Under has an excellent post up today about this very subject. I hope other bloggers pick it up and spread it around.

In response to Senators (both R’s and D’s) saying things like:

“A free and independent press is critical to the functioning of a democracy, and I am concerned about any actions which may erode the independence of the Iraqi media,”
—
If Americans were truly welcomed in Iraq as liberators, we wouldn’t have to doctor the news for the Iraqi people.”

He comes back with some of the all time best rebuttal paragraphs ever:

Let me ask both of you one question: If it’s so bad for the Government to effect a Democracy by influencing the stories in the media in any way then why the hell do I have a quote from you on the subject? Huh?

By even commenting on it you’re influencing the media here. And you work for… the Government.

In fact, to take that a step further, do you employ any media relations people? You shouldn’t, because, by God, your part of one of the most powerful Democracies in the world. Your impact, according to the intellectual line you’ve taken, would be that you were “doctoring the news” which might “erode the independence” of our media from your influence.

Both of you have spin machines and information leaks and anonymous, off the record quotes flying all around you daily, so forgive me if I think that your argument of Iraqi press conservation is a pile of crap.

Go read the entire thing and check out his awesome graphic that speaks simply enough to be understood by our dimwitted Senators. Go here.