On the June 20 edition of NBC's Today, NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell cited Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-NY) June 19 schedule -- “after speaking out against the war all day, Clinton was honored by the Marines last night” -- as an example of how “leading Democrats make sure they strike a balance between pleasing the base and positioning themselves to run against a Republican.” By juxtaposing the two events as though they were in tension, Mitchell echoed a view commonly articulated by the media that “speaking out against the war” is anti-military or not supportive of the troops.

Media Matters for America has repeatedly documented (here, here, here, here, and here) various media outlets -- including NBC -- suggesting that a public official cannot be both against the war and supportive of the military. For instance, as Media Matters noted, on the February 13 edition of Today, co-host Campbell Brown said: “It's tough for Democrats. ... It's difficult to say that you're against the war and at the same time not say that you're against the troops.”

From the June 20 edition of NBC's Today, which included a video clip of Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne Jr.:

MITCHELL: But, how far is too far? The leading Democrats make sure they strike a balance between pleasing the base and positioning themselves to run against a Republican.

DIONNE [video clip]: They're thinking very hard about: Who can we put up? The Democrats are saying, “Who can actually win this election?”

MITCHELL: So, after speaking out against the war all day, Clinton was honored by the Marines last night at a sunset parade at the Iwo Jima Memorial.

Democrats know if they move too far to the left, they can lose the independent swing voters who will likely decide who does win the White House -- Matt.