How The Pentagon Propaganda Machine Worked: ‘are you telling me to tell a lie???? surely not! ;)’
How The Pentagon Propaganda Machine Worked: ‘are you telling me to tell a lie???? surely not! ;)’
The Pentagon document dump on its propaganda program reveals this interesting insight as to how the Defense Department worked with conservative allies to manipulate the media.
In a Feb. 16, 2006 email exchange, Pentagon media staffers discussed coordinating with the Heritage Foundation to identify someone to speak about detainee treatment at Gitmo. An anonymous employee suggested retired Army Sergeant Major Steve Short because “he seems to be on message and very articulate.”
Pentagon public affairs official Allison Barber responded by warning that the DoD could not officially “endorse” one particular speaker over another. “Important to remember that heritage can invite anyone to present and that we don’t really have an opinion on anyone,” Barber wrote.
The anonymous author then suggested he or she might lie and pretend not to have ever heard of Short:
Just two weeks after this email exchange — on March 1, 2006 — Short was invited by Heritage to participate on a panel entitled “GITMO: What You Read Vs. What You See.” And he was indeed “on message”:
The next day, UPI reported Short’s comments:
Jennifer Daskal, advocacy director for U.S. programs at Human Rights Watch, endorsed these charges. “Allegations of torture and abuse are pervasive,” she said.
However, Heritage speakers with firsthand experience of Guantanamo dismissed all claims of mistreatment. According to Steve Short, a retired Command Sergeant Major with the U.S. Army, “I can honestly say that when taking part in briefings, I never heard anything that indicated any inappropriate action was being taken against detainees.”
Short emphasized the extensive training received by military personnel running the base. U.S. soldiers “cared for detainees in much the same way that they would like to be cared for if the situation were reversed,” he said.
For the Pentagon propaganda machine – a mission accomplished.
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19 Responses to “How The Pentagon Propaganda Machine Worked: ‘are you telling me to tell a lie???? surely not! ;)’”
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I am sickened and ashamed. How low will we yet sink? How much corruption has this administration's leadership example caused?
May 13th, 2008 at 10:25 am"And the beat goes on........"
May 13th, 2008 at 10:28 amNo. This WH has not hit bottom yet. Not even close. However, we will find out what happened. Hopefully, starting in 2009.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:29 amWe litigators who do a lot of document review wish we could look at documents this interesting, with so many smoking guns. It's not fair. :(
May 13th, 2008 at 10:32 amGasp! Lie? C'mon now, of course, you do it every effing day. In the reich wing chapter of Amerikan history that is coming to a close.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:33 amBeing a Vietnam Vet, I never thought I would have to say this, but ............"MOVE OVER TRICKY DICK, there is a new Worst President, Ever, in town"
May 13th, 2008 at 10:35 amThus those who capture and hold our young women and men are encouraged to treat them in like manner.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:40 amThe laws of this country only apply to the people on the street.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:47 amThis administration has turned the United States into a sh|thole .
And the media,televsion and others take it from there,and sell it to the public,without telling the people how it was all arranged in advance.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:00 amOne more observation..
This guy did not do this for free,to come and speak,so he must have been compensated for his effort.
This is so appalling that no words seem sufficient. Our government coordinated lies. Not disinformation, not spin: lies. And the lies were intended to cover up what may have been torture and probably was. They were certainly intended to cover up and make palatable our own American concentration camp.
When do impeachment proceedings begin? I'd call this high crimes and misdemeanors. And I'd be fine if he was removed from office on his last day in office. Both Bush and Cheney have presided over the greatest erosion of American values in the history of America or values.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:03 amBriseadh na Faire Says:
Thus those who capture and hold our young women and men are encouraged to treat them in like manner.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:40 am
____
Yup. It's probably much better treatment than they'd receive at Walter Reed or a VA clinic.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:18 amand, so, once again we know what we knew all along - the administration is lying. So, what, exactly, is Congress going to do about it . . .
. . .
. . .
yup, as i suspected, not a darn thing.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:28 amMildly o/t but did anyone else see Doug Feith on The Daily Show last night? What a typical stuttering pasty POS chickenhawk neocon. He spent most of his time admitting that big mistakes were made...in the way information was put out to the public. Stewart asserted that the Administration spoon fed often misleading positive info to the public while witholding and hiding any bad news or negative speculation in order to push it's invasion of Iraq. Stewart's perception was that Americans were behind going into Afghanistan after 9/11 but it had to take a concerted selling of lies to try to convince Americans that we needed to all but abandon the real fight to take out Saddam Hussein. Feith was obviously not used to being asked a few tough questions as he stammered to defend his bosses. These scumbags all admit that that huge errors were made but when pressed for details the finger pointing begins as they all to a one refuse to take a shred of responsibility for their own deeds. After next January America will have a new and justified use for Guantanamo...holding every one of these neoscumbags while they await (w/o haebius corpus) for their trials on breaking Rico laws, treason and the rest of the laundry list of crimes commited by these pathetic human beings.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:33 am...well at least I can still dream!
May 13th, 2008 at 11:33 amI'm sure that Short was wearing his patriotism-insuring flag pin, so everything he said must have been the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help him Bush.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:45 am…well at least I can still dream!
Now you've gone and done it! - the neocons have probably alright jumped on this and are researching a REM sleep disruptor to eliminate dissenting dreams.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:47 amI used to represent large corporations in their dealings on government contracts. I learned that lessons would not be learned through a close call with the law with some corporations. A criminal investigation, grand jury investigation or fraud suit that did not result in serious consequences would simply justify their prior course of conduct as justified. We have seen the Republican party consistently break the law and the public trust only to be given a reprimand by Congress and the Democratic party. This has only emboldened them and led to greater depredations.
Urgent and severe punishment is needed and needed now. The pentagon propaganda campaign represents criminal action that is unique to the style of this administration and the Republican party. It pulls together a network of think tank front organizations with what has been traditionally a nonpartisan and apolitical organization, the military. We need to be concerned that the military has been molded into a part of the Republican's effort to create a one party state using the same tactics as were used by Stalin, Hitler and Hussein.
We have seen a similar effort to create cabinet level departments staffed by ideologically pure operatives injected by the party into what are suppose to be nonpartisan political positions within DoJ, EPA, and other organizations. We have also seen political commissars appointed to censor and mold the work of government agencies to meet the needs not of the public but rather the needs and desires of the party and its corporate sponsors.
Be it resolved that the President, Vice-President and other top political advisers be arrested and tried for crimes against humanity (torture and aggressive war, violations of FISA and other procedural laws relevant to the Fourth Amendment, violation of the Hatch Act, bribery, corruption and ultimately treason by attempting to override democracy and install a fascist one party state. Be it resolved that the only appropriate penalty for such act would be the death penalty with the top officials publicly executed.
The Republican party and their fifth column agents pose a continuing threat to the democracy of the United States. The Republican party must be declared a criminal organization. Their top officials must be barred from ever holding public office or taking a position of authority within any political party. It will be necessary to remove any career civil service appointee by this administration subject to re-appointment after clearance by a security panel as to the depth of their involvement with the Republican party.
We will also have to deal with those corporate allies who have assisted in the power base of the Republican party and the corruption of the political process. There must be appropriate prosecutions of corporations for bribery. Corporations must lose their status giving them the same rights as people. Political contributions must be limited from corporations and other business front groups with appropriate limitations upon the amount that individuals may contribute.
The attempt by the Republican party to create a fascist country started with Nixon. They did not learn their lesson then. They did not learn their lesson with Iran Contra. The Republican party has instead become bolder with each generation and very nearly created a one party state. A substantial infrastructure remains in support of the Republican fascist organization. It is time to deal with them as Germany should have dealt with the Nazi's or Russia with Stalin. If we fail to act now, the Republican elite will succeed in creating a one party state sold at will to the corporate and moneyed interests which they serve. Action must be taken now while it is still possible to do so within the law.
May 13th, 2008 at 12:05 pmThe revealing of details of Bushco's propaganda machine are making clear what could only be assumed before: The U.S. government habitually, pervasively, and with little fear of punishment lies to and defrauds the citizens of the U.S.
May 13th, 2008 at 2:10 pmJust goes to show you can't trust people who use smilies.
May 13th, 2008 at 3:15 pm