Pentagon uses military analysts as ‘puppets’ to push talking points.
Pentagon uses military analysts as ‘puppets’ to push talking points.
A new New York Times article reveals that the Pentagon has wooed military analysts with private briefings and access to classified information “in a campaign to generate favorable news coverage of the administration’s wartime performance.” Most of these analysts have ties to contractors who are “vested in the very war policies they are asked to assess on air,” and many admit that they suppressed doubts about the administration’s misinformation out of fear of jeopardizing their access or contracts:
The documents released by the Pentagon do not show any quid pro quo between commentary and contracts. But some analysts said they had used the special access as a marketing and networking opportunity or as a window into future business possibilities.
Over time, the Pentagon recruited more than 75 retired officers, although some participated only briefly or sporadically. The largest contingent was affiliated with Fox News, followed by NBC and CNN, the other networks with 24-hour cable outlets. But analysts from CBS and ABC were included, too. Some recruits, though not on any network payroll, were influential in other ways — either because they were sought out by radio hosts, or because they often published op-ed articles or were quoted in magazines, Web sites and newspapers. At least nine of them have written op-ed articles for The Times.
These analysts were also instructed to not “quote their briefers directly or otherwise describe their contacts with the Pentagon.”
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wel..duh!?
April 19th, 2008 at 8:43 pmSo much for the notion of transparency. And ethics for that matter. But what else can we expect when the President sets the tone. You know, if Bush can do it why can’t I.
How did America get driven into the ditch like it did. How do we get it out of the ditch. And how do we make sure we don’t just go right back into the ditch. For the last 40 years we have been in the ditch as a nation more often than we have been out of the ditch. How does America elect people like Nixon and Bush.
April 19th, 2008 at 8:56 pmCorporate cronies collaborate.
That’s how…and they don’t give 2cents for the country…just “their” bottom lines.
April 19th, 2008 at 8:58 pmThese “think-tankers” are being paid with the blood of U.S. Servicemen. SHAMEFUL!
April 19th, 2008 at 8:59 pmCatapulting the propaganda…
April 19th, 2008 at 9:05 pmWhen I pledge allegiance, it is to my flag and to the Country for which it stands, and not for my personal gain at the expense of my fellow countrymen. Shame on these self-serving, pseudo-patriotic, greed driven, traitors. Let them hang!
April 19th, 2008 at 9:10 pm“Pentagon uses military analysts as ‘puppets’ to push talking points.”
Ah, duh! Ya think?
April 19th, 2008 at 9:37 pmCriminals!
April 19th, 2008 at 9:38 pmMost of these analysts have ties to contractors who are “vested in the very war policies they are asked to assess on air,” and many admit that they suppressed doubts about the administration’s misinformation out of fear of jeopardizing their access or contracts.
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Boys and girls, can you say “unethical?”
And the largest group of them were employed by Fox News? Surprise, surprise…NOT!!!!!!
April 19th, 2008 at 9:48 pmPentagon has wooed military analysts with private briefings and access to classified information “in a campaign to generate favorable news coverage of the administration’s wartime performance.
OMG what will they think of next. To put people in harms way for a sound bit, are they all despicable.
After what they did to Valerie Plame, who devoted 20 years of her life to the CIA, I’m not totally shocked. The worse thing was they belittled her, she has more patriotism in her little finger than all of them put together. If someone or something gets in their way, they will go to extreme measures. We keep seeing this time and time again.
Plain and simple they are all traitors and should receive a proper punishment in accordance of the law for war crimes. If our next administration has the backbone to correct the serious wrongs the Bush administration has commited. It will not make up for all the needless deaths from this war. The only thing we have left to give all of the families is justice.
April 19th, 2008 at 9:56 pmI hear that Cheney is holding mandatory seminars for puppeteers in the Pentagon. He is, after all, the MASTER puppeteer.
April 19th, 2008 at 10:01 pmOh boy…This is just like the Iraqis who were paying Iraqi newspaper editors to run stories that put the Iraqi and American governments in a favorable light.
Oh wait…It was the Pentagon doing that too:
Iraq Gets A Dose Of U.S. Style Propaganda
April 19th, 2008 at 10:27 pmThis sort of covert manipulation of the media by the military in our form of government is beyond disturbing and should be excised from the body politic like the cancer it is. Congress should specifically prevent any and all taxpayer funds from being used for such nefarious purposes!
April 19th, 2008 at 10:48 pmI wrote Barry Obama’s biography today. About his rise to fame and all that jive. It’s a pop up book.
April 19th, 2008 at 11:03 pm“I wrote Barry Obama’s biography today. About his rise to fame and all that jive. It’s a pop up book.
April 19th, 2008 at 11:03 pm Recommend (0) | Report Abuse”
it’s childish nonsense, except for the all-out racism and lies. Typical wingnut bullshit. what are you so afraid of?
April 19th, 2008 at 11:20 pmold_hack Says:
April 19th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Wow. You’re right. You do have issues.
Is Hillary next?
Grow up.
April 19th, 2008 at 11:57 pm“otherwise describe their contacts with the Pentagon.”
First rule of academic honesty / integrity is to cite your sources.
April 20th, 2008 at 12:06 amOLD HACK SELL YOUR SLOP ELSWARE!!!!
April 20th, 2008 at 12:10 amWhy does the “military” need public taxpayer funds to lie to us?
In a democratic form of government shouldn’t the job of the military be to follow the lawful direction of elected officials and NOT influence “elections”?
I was jis wonderin . . .
April 20th, 2008 at 12:28 amThere is something wrong with the mainstream media in this country. Where is the objective journalism? Where is the give and take? This is not right. Media control is something that faired well in Germany circa 1938. We are better than this.
April 20th, 2008 at 12:29 amThe military-industrial crony complex is a parasite sucking the lifeblood out of America like a humongous, bloated TRILLION DOLLAR tick.
April 20th, 2008 at 12:38 amEisenhower was right, he saw it coming.
OLD HACK IS A RACEST —- PLEASE REMOVE HIS POST
April 20th, 2008 at 12:43 amI figured most of the talking heads that you see on tv who were former generals were in on the fix except for maybe barry mccaffery. The others are just good soldiers trying to carry out orders.
April 20th, 2008 at 1:06 amCheck out this PDF and especially the section near the bottom where Rendon is reported to have said: “The retired people in the networks had too much control of context.”
Heh.
April 20th, 2008 at 2:19 amanalysts were also instructed to not “quote their briefers directly or otherwise describe their contacts with the Pentagon.”
And this “catapulting of the propaganda” is made possible by a compliant media that will never ask any questions about those briefers, or ask these so-called analyst to talk about their ties to the Pentagon.
The same media that is largely responsible for letting this administration’s many lies (about the economy, Iraq, terrorism, etc. The list is too long to include everything here) stand unchallenged. They have given up on their responsibility to inform the public, lest they be accused of “left bias”.
April 20th, 2008 at 2:36 amAgain…for the 1000000000th time. Thats why the mainstream media is completely irrelevant, controlled, and should be completely ignored. Not even blogged about.
April 20th, 2008 at 3:05 amThis is what is called a bombshell, ladies and gentlemen. The fact that the NYT has finally admitted something we all suspected for years in a major comprehensive report like this is a crushing blow. Watch the Bush League go into immediate damage control mode on this one. Perino’s probably been up all night.
“WARNING, WARNING! DANGER, WILL ROBINSON!”
April 20th, 2008 at 5:25 amI thought this was more or less common knowledge.
April 20th, 2008 at 7:58 amIt’s seemed really obvious to me all along.
Wasn’t the NYT ‘catapulting the propaganda’ leading up to the invasion ?
If not, my memory is showing the clog from malted hops and bong resin.
If so, then it is interesting how at one point they’re in the admin.’s pocket and then it’s time to back stab.
Hell, the NYT has probably had a half dozen ‘military analysts’ pimpin’ the invasion and on their payroll for the last seven years.
From the NY Times Article: Referring to these Military Experts/ Defense Contractor Retainees….
“Many also shared with Mr. Bush’s national security team a belief that pessimistic war coverage broke the nation’s will to win in Vietnam, and there was a mutual resolve not to let that happen with this war.”
Grrrr. These people think we lost in Viet Nam because of INADEQUATE PROPAGANDA!!
April 20th, 2008 at 9:09 amGuy_Fawkes Says:
This is what is called a bombshell, ladies and gentlemen.
Too bad that it will hit the MSM with a wet thud. Bombshells used to make waves through the news.
April 20th, 2008 at 9:11 amNot in todays propaganda controlled news.
Joseph Goebbels would be proud.
April 20th, 2008 at 9:45 amGreed and ideology over duty to country and reason. Thanks GOPigs.
April 20th, 2008 at 10:01 amA new New York Times article reveals that the Pentagon has wooed military analysts with private briefings and access to classified information…
Wooed them my ass. These guys are volunteers.
April 20th, 2008 at 10:01 amHow does America elect people like Nixon and Bush.
We’re a nation of ditch-diggers. There is no issue in politics that we can’t screw up, or won’t screw up, and blame on someone else, given enough time and resources. Our chests are so puffed-up with misplaced pride, we can’t see that our shoes are untied.
April 20th, 2008 at 10:05 amKinda takes away from the courage we usually thought inherent in generals doesn’t it?
April 20th, 2008 at 10:10 amIt’s one thing to speak out as an individual, retired general, but to accept wages for propagandizing the military, using one’s military background as cover is shameless.
Congress needs to look into whether our classified military documents have been fed to these people without proper authority. We’ve had leaks to foreign powers recently. If these people are so underhanded that they are willing to go on TV and lie about their sources, I have no doubt that would be willing to sell our military secrets to the highest bidder. Maybe Conyers can at least get a list of the traitors?
April 20th, 2008 at 10:33 amIsrael has more access to US secrets then the US Congress…Top security to LIEberman to Israel.
April 20th, 2008 at 10:51 amThe United States of America vs the Republican Party…this is WAR!
April 20th, 2008 at 10:53 amfreedom lover Says:
it’s childish nonsense, except for the all-out racism and lies. Typical wingnut bullshit. what are you so afraid of?
They are afraid of the loss of the “permanent majority” that the Republicans wanted. They know that if Obama is elected, the Republican party will become marginalized for decades. Obama will bring some sanity back into our government and stop being the biggest bully in the world. He will talk to other countries before he invades them. And most of all, he will do away with the Military Industrial Complex and stop privatizing our government.
April 20th, 2008 at 10:53 amMy comment is awaiting moderation ?
April 20th, 2008 at 10:53 amI can’t say that I’ve seen that before.
Wayne Says:
Too bad that it will hit the MSM with a wet thud. Bombshells used to make waves through the news.
Not in todays propaganda controlled news.
The only “bombshells” reported in the news today are about a public figure and sex or about a missing white woman. It is disgusting what our MSM has done to itself. They have trivialized themselves to a point where they are no longer relevant. I have no sympathy for the newspapers who are going under. They did it to themselves. Now, if we could just get the public to tune out the MSM on the TV and radio, possibly they will see the light and change their ways.
April 20th, 2008 at 10:57 amKeith H. Says:
My comment is awaiting moderation ?
I can’t say that I’ve seen that before.
That happened to me once. I’m not exactly sure what triggered it. The post did show up, though.
TP, what’s this moderation all about?
April 20th, 2008 at 10:58 amBilbo Hussein Baggins,
April 20th, 2008 at 11:03 amThank you.
Ooh, puppets. Can we have some clowns too? And some all-day suckers?
Oh yeah, we’re the suckers. Forgot, I was drinking the kool-aid. Silly me.
April 20th, 2008 at 12:37 pmIf this isn’t the smoking gun that the administration has been propagandizing US citizens, I don’t know what is. This story needs to be trumpeted from every site, on every progressive radio show, and in many, many newspapers across the country. The perfect fascist storm. Impeachment yet?
April 20th, 2008 at 12:41 pmI am amazed at how even though more people die every year from peanut allergies and “safe” Rx drugs, terrorism is the big boogeyman that everyone is willing to sacrifice their way of life in order to magically thwart. The idea that outright martial law is needed to stop the threat of terrorism is repugnant and is the result of the wet dreams of a repugnant would-be dictator.
It is absurd to believe that the erosion of civil liberties and a Martial Law Police State is necessary to keep the people safe. It simply trades the international terrorists in favor for domestic ones. It’s a shame that no one at the top levels is sincerely interested in catching terrorists (instead they are more interested – obviously – in gaining more tyrannical domestic powers) or else I feel they would certainly adopt Robert Steele’s “Open Source Security” system.
April 20th, 2008 at 2:51 pmMost Americans will never read this story because they get their ‘news’ from the same networks charged in this report. The ‘news’ networks will never report a story about their own criminal activity.
The alternative news sites will keep the story alive for a day or two, and then it will go the way of all truth in this country…and that is nowhere.
Good read on this topic: Pimping for the Pentagon
April 21st, 2008 at 12:16 amhttp://tvnewslies.org/tvnl/index.php/editorial/reggies-commentary/20-regs-thoughts/1263-tv-news-pimping-for-the-pentagon-
And most of all, he will do away with the Military Industrial Complex
Bilbo
What ever gave you that idea?
April 23rd, 2008 at 12:00 pm