Media Matters - War in Iraq

Media Matters - War in Iraq http://mediamatters.org/tools/syndication/tag_rss/war_in_iraq This link is for use by RSS-enabled software to retrieve Media Matters items matching the term: War in Iraq en-US Copyright 2008, Media Matters for America Media quote GOP claim that Obama reversed Iraq policy, without noting Obama's prior statements http://mediamatters.org/items/200807030014 In covering Sen. Barack Obama's comments, "When I go to Iraq and have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I'm sure I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies," the media have reported Republican claims that Obama reversed himself. In fact, Obama has said for months that he would set Iraq war policy in consultation with military commanders. http://mediamatters.org/items/200807030014 Thu, 3 Jul 2008 20:47:45 EST Limbaugh: Democrats will not say "We honor your service" to troops returning from Iraq http://mediamatters.org/items/200807030005 Rush Limbaugh asserted that troops returning from Iraq "will not receive anything from the Democrat [sic] Party along the likes of 'Job well done. We're proud of you.' And this is highly distressing. Not only will Democrats not say, nor leftists, say to any returning troops from Iraq, 'Good job. Job well done. We honor your service.' No, they did just the opposite. They sought to secure defeat of the U.S. military in Iraq." In fact, many Senate Democrats recently honored the service of U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. http://mediamatters.org/items/200807030005 Thu, 3 Jul 2008 15:34:03 EST AP ignored previous reporting on Obama's questioning of Petraeus http://mediamatters.org/items/200806250004 An AP article stated that Sen. John McCain "chid[ed] [Sen. Barack Obama] for never receiving a briefing from Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in [Iraq]." The article reported McCain's claims without challenging them -- it made no mention of the fact that Obama has twice questioned Petraeus on the situation in Iraq during Senate hearings. http://mediamatters.org/items/200806250004 Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:51:04 EST Dobbs falsely asserted Obama "in a complete reversal" is only "now" considering trip to Iraq http://mediamatters.org/items/200806170008 CNN's Lou Dobbs claimed that "in what appears to be a complete reversal tonight, Senator [Barack] Obama says he's considering a trip now to Iraq." In fact, Obama has said on several occasions since last November that he is considering a trip to Iraq. http://mediamatters.org/items/200806170008 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:36:09 EST CNN.com article asserted Obama may have raised issue of McCain's age without noting context or campaign's denials http://mediamatters.org/items/200806160009 In an analysis, CNN.com asserted that Sen. Barack Obama "may have" launched "[t]he first salvo of the general election's age war" when he "argued in an interview ... that [Sen. John] McCain had 'lost his bearings' while pursuing the Republican nomination." But CNN.com did not provide the context of Obama's remark, which would have made clear that Obama was responding to a smear by McCain and was accusing McCain of violating his pledge to avoid negative campaigning when he made the statement. http://mediamatters.org/items/200806160009 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:05:10 EST Matthews did not challenge Republican strategist's false claim that "it was Senator McCain who called for Don Rumsfeld to be sacked" http://mediamatters.org/items/200806160002 On Hardball, Todd Harris falsely claimed that "it was Senator [John] McCain who called for Don Rumsfeld to be sacked." Chris Matthews responded: "Right." But a McCain spokesman reportedly acknowledged that McCain "did not call for his resignation." http://mediamatters.org/items/200806160002 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:39:48 EST Levin, MacCallum falsely accused Obama of inconsistency on whether Iranian Revolutionary Guard should be designated a terrorist group http://mediamatters.org/items/200806060008 On his radio show, Mark Levin falsely asserted that Sen. Barack Obama "lied to" the American Israel Public Affairs Committee when he "told them today that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards should be designated a terrorist group after voting against a bill designating them a terrorist group a year ago." Similarly, Fox News' Martha MacCallum asserted that Obama "seems to be changing his tune on the significant issue." In fact, Obama has consistently supported designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization, having co-sponsored a bill in 2007 to do that. http://mediamatters.org/items/200806060008 Fri, 6 Jun 2008 19:59:19 EST CNN, Fox News falsely suggested Senate report finding Bush administration "misled Americans" about Iraq-Al Qaeda link was approved only by Dems http://mediamatters.org/items/200806060002 CNN's Carol Costello and Ed Henry, and Fox News' Brit Hume falsely suggested that only the Democratic members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence approved the committee's June 5 "Report on Whether Public Statements Regarding Iraq by U.S. Government Officials Were Substantiated by Intelligence Information." In addition to the committee's Democrats, Republican Sens. Chuck Hagel and Olympia Snowe endorsed the report and stated that it "accomplished its primary objective." http://mediamatters.org/items/200806060002 Fri, 6 Jun 2008 13:47:15 EST CNN's Dobbs, Daily News' Goodwin expressed incredulity that Pelosi would "giv[e] the Iranians the credit," but her comments echoed CNN's own reporting http://mediamatters.org/items/200806040005 On Lou Dobbs Tonight, Lou Dobbs and Michael Goodwin cited House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's comments about Iran negotiating an end to fighting in Basra, Iraq, to accuse her of being unwilling to give credit to U.S. troops and being "invested in failure" when, in fact, CNN itself reported that Iran had played an integral role in brokering a cease-fire in Basra, as did numerous other media outlets. http://mediamatters.org/items/200806040005 Wed, 4 Jun 2008 15:16:21 EST Ignoring McCain's own votes against troop funding, AP, LA Times uncritically quoted his attacks on Obama http://mediamatters.org/items/200806040002 The AP and the Los Angeles Times quoted Sen. John McCain's assertion that Sen. Barack Obama voted "to deny funds to the soldiers who have done a brilliant and brave job" in Iraq, without noting that McCain himself voted against bills that would have provided "funds to the soldiers" serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. http://mediamatters.org/items/200806040002 Wed, 4 Jun 2008 13:47:20 EST Despite contrary evidence, CNN's Townsend insisted "facts" show neither Rove nor Libby outed Plame as CIA operative http://mediamatters.org/items/200806020002 On CNN Newsroom, CNN national security contributor Fran Townsend twice made the false claim that neither Karl Rove nor I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby had "outed Valerie Plame" as a CIA agent and that the leaker was Richard Armitage. In fact, both Rove and Libby were sources of the information about Plame's CIA employment for at least two journalists. http://mediamatters.org/items/200806020002 Mon, 2 Jun 2008 14:20:03 EST SF Chronicle did not report that McCain's claim, "We have drawn down to pre-surge levels," was false http://mediamatters.org/items/200806010001 Reporting that Sen. John McCain "had to defend his [May 29] comments that U.S. troops are down to 'presurge level,' " the San Francisco Chronicle did not point out that McCain's statement was false. As The Washington Post noted, there are about 155,000 troops in Iraq, well above the 130,000 there before the increase. Further, in reporting that McCain "insisted he hadn't misspoken," the Chronicle did not point out that, in addition to his false statement about troop levels in Iraq, he also "misspoke[]" by misstating what he had initially said. http://mediamatters.org/items/200806010001 Sun, 1 Jun 2008 13:05:48 EST Will pundits who blasted Howard Dean in 2003 over troop-numbers response question McCain's fitness following his Iraq troop-level falsehood? http://mediamatters.org/items/200805300012 During a May 29 campaign appearance, Sen. John McCain falsely stated that U.S. troops in Iraq "have [been] drawn down to pre-surge levels." As the Associated Press reported, "[T]here are 17 brigades in Iraq" right now, as opposed to the 15 brigades in place before the increase. In 2003, then-Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean was criticized in the media for his response to a question about the number of active-duty soldiers, with Tim Russert and others questioning his fitness to be commander in chief. In light of McCain's troop-surge falsehood and numerous national security gaffes, will the media similarly question his suitability to be commander in chief? http://mediamatters.org/items/200805300012 Fri, 30 May 2008 21:41:18 EST AP reported McCain's "ready response" to Obama on health care, but not that it was false http://mediamatters.org/items/200805300011 The Associated Press' Liz Sidoti reported without challenge several attacks Sen. John McCain recently made against Sen. Barack Obama, including what Sidoti referred to as his "ready response" that a "significant difference between myself and Senator Obama" is that "I am not going to dictate that the government decide what your health care is going to be." In fact, Obama's plan does not allow for government control of health care; rather, it calls for individuals to choose their own insurance. http://mediamatters.org/items/200805300011 Fri, 30 May 2008 21:31:31 EST While Mike Allen equated critics of White House press corps' war coverage with "left-wing haters," ex-colleague Dobbs wrote, "We failed you" http://mediamatters.org/items/200805300008 On Mike Gallagher's radio show, Mike Allen said of Scott McClellan's new book: "Scott does adopt the vocabulary, rhetoric of the left-wing haters. Can you believe it in here he says that the White House press corps was too deferential to the administration ... in the run-up to the war?" By contrast, two of Allen's former colleagues echoed the media criticism of Allen's so-called "left-wing haters." Michael Dobbs asserted that "on the question of whether the American press did its job properly during the run-up to the Iraq war, it is difficult to argue with his conclusions. We failed you." Similarly, Howard Kurtz stated that print coverage during the run-up to the war was "flawed," adding: "It was only when violence surged in Iraq and public opinion began turning against the war that ABC, CBS, NBC, and the rest of the media turned more skeptical." http://mediamatters.org/items/200805300008 Fri, 30 May 2008 19:30:44 EST