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November 28, 2006
The Moonbat Media's Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of Defeat
It isn't often that Moonbattery can recommend editorials in the New York Times, but an op-ed by Dominic Johnson and Dominic Tierney warrants a read. The authors point out that the Tet Offensive, Somalia, and Iraq have been perceived as major American defeats. But the first two were defeats only because they were portrayed that way — and Iraq is following suit.
As too few know, it was the communists, not America, that took a pounding in the Tet Offensive. Half of the 80,000 attackers were killed in the first month alone, and not a single South Vietnamese target was held by the Vietcong. Nonetheless, our media chose to spin it as a defeat, and to focus morbidly on the brutality of war. This combined with expectations that had been recklessly inflated by the Johnson Administration to provide a devastating blow to the American public's morale.
Similarly, our adventure in Somalia was overwhelmingly successful from a military standpoint. Unfortunately, it is the public perception standpoint that determines winners and losers in the modern era. When we lost 43 soldiers in Black Hawk Down, no one seemed to notice that our troops had accomplished their mission, and that thousands of lives had been saved in Somalia. Unrealistic expectations of an easy mission were dashed, and our ghoulish media zeroed in on mutilated American corpses dragged by savages through Mogadishu.
The same forces are at play in Iraq. It doesn't matter whether we're winning on the ground. Expectations are unrealistically high, in part because of W's mistake of declaring "mission accomplished" before we got to the hard part. More importantly, the media is determined to report an American defeat.
As our terrorist enemies are all too aware, propaganda is more powerful than the mighty weapons in our military's arsenal. If the media reports that we lose, we really do lose — and the MSM wouldn't have it any other way.
On a tip from Harry B.
Posted by Van Helsing at November 28, 2006 2:49 PM
Comments
We lost the Vietnam War? I was told it was a Phased Withdrawl...
Posted by: Farmer John at November 28, 2006 3:23 PM
er-r-r-r!
Phased Re-Deployment of forces to an undesignated over-the-horizon location!
Oh crap! I can't remember. Better ask Jack...
Posted by: Farmer John at November 28, 2006 3:26 PM
Check out Colbert beating up Pelosi on the Wii.
http://www.destructoid.com/colbert-beats-down-liberal-mii-in-wii-sports-28180.phtml
Posted by: Wonderschlong at November 28, 2006 4:04 PM
Good thing todays media wasnt around during WW II. Can you imagine the stories?
"Botched D-Day landing results in thousands of US soldiers dead and thousands more wounded - tanks sunk to the bottom of the English Channel - landings miles off course! Time for a phased withdrawal!!!"
Or
"April 1945 - Over 300,000 Americans dead and millions more wounded in this war! And for what? We should sit down and talk with Germany and Japan - after all they are reasonable people!
Now Kamikazes are killing hundreds each day! Thousands dead on the sands of Iwo Jima! We cant win! Time to bring the troops home!"
Posted by: General Jack D. Ripper at November 28, 2006 4:45 PM
It is more important to liberals that George W. Bush and the Republicans suffer defeat than it is that America achieve victory. That sentiment is the driver behind all of the MSM coverage of the war. If Iraq was perceived as a Democrat war (e.g. Bosnia or Haiti), the news would be about the triumph of American ideals. The Democrats are willing to wreck this country as long as they get the pieces.
Posted by: Beef at November 29, 2006 8:11 AM
....they must figure they've nothing to loose if the gravy train ever runs off its' track.
The expression of shock they'd get on their faces if the Conductor ever set them off this freedom ride would be something worth seeing.
Posted by: Farmer John at November 29, 2006 11:18 AM
...actually, so many of them have made such a mess out of their own personal lives that it probably actually wouldn't be much of a shock to them to see the remainder of the nation in a heap. Heck, it would probably even bring a smile to their faces and they'd walk around with self-congratulatory looks on their faces saying "I told you so... the neocons have ruined everything!" to all their faux-friends.
Posted by: Farmer John at November 29, 2006 11:22 AM
