In reporting on the May 20 formation of the Iraqi cabinet, ABC's Good Morning America, CBS's The Early Show, and NBC's Today each failed to note that three of most critical positions in the new government -- the heads of the defense, national security, and interior ministries -- remain vacant. Also, NBC correspondent Richard Engle reported that President Bush considers the formation of the Iraqi government a “turning point” without noting that the Bush administration has touted no fewer than five “turning points” for Iraq in the past.

As the New York Times reported on May 21, the Iraqi parliament approved 36 cabinet ministers, "[b]ut three of the most important posts in the government -- [heads of] the Ministries of Defense, Interior and National Security -- were left vacant because Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish leaders could not agree on who should fill them." The Times further reported: “Those three ministries are especially sensitive because each controls some part of Iraq's new security forces. That gives them a central role in fighting the guerrilla insurgency, but they have been accused of carrying out sectarian vendettas as well.”

Good Morning America, The Early Show, and Today made no mention of these unfilled cabinet positions during their May 22 broadcasts, even though hosts on each network's respective flagship Sunday morning show did note the vacancies.

From the May 21 broadcast of ABC's This Week:

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (host): And we are back now with the roundtable. I am joined as always by [Washington Post columnist] George Will, [Newsweek columnist] Fareed Zakaria, [ABC political commentator] Cokie Roberts. Welcome to all of you. And we saw the president come out early this morning after church, designed, I think, to affect our programming just a little bit, talking about a new day and a new chapter in Iraq. Fareed Zakaria, there was a government announced yesterday, but it didn't include the national security secretary, the head of defense, or the head of interior.

From the May 21 broadcast of CBS' Face the Nation:

BOB SCHIEFFER (host): After months of feuding, the Iraqi parliament has finally approved a unity government to run the country. Some key posts remain to be filled, but this morning, the president said this development serves as a devastating defeat for the terrorists.

On the May 21 broadcast of NBC's Meet the Press, host Tim Russert asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice several questions about the cabinet vacancies:

RUSSERT: A new government in Iraq, a new prime minister, and yet no minister of defense, of interior, or national security. Does that concern you?

RICE: Well, first of all, I think this is a real step forward, a big day, really, for the Iraqi people. You have the first elected government that is there to govern, not just to prepare elections or to prepare constitutions but to govern permanently. Our understanding with Prime Minister Maliki is that he wants to get it right about defense and interior. They're going to take a little bit longer. They are doing interviews, they've vetted people. They want to make certain that they make the right choices there. When I was in Iraq with Secretary [of Defense Donald H.] Rumsfeld, Prime Minister [Nuri Kamal al-] Maliki was very focused on the need particularly to have an Interior Ministry in which people had confidence and that could build police in which people had confidence. And so I'm not surprised that it's taking them a little bit longer to make sure that these are people in whom the prime minister has confidence.

RUSSERT: It's a pivotal position.

RICE: It's absolutely pivotal, and it needs to be truly a national unity position. It needs to be a position in which there's someone who's not just competent but somebody of integrity. And I think it actually shows some maturity that they were able to go ahead with the formation of the government so that they can start working, but that they can take a little bit longer. And I talked this morning to [U.S.] Ambassador [to Iraq Zalmay] Khalilzad in Baghdad. He told me that already the prime minister has had meetings today on infrastructure security. He is saying that he's determined to use maximum force if necessary to stop the terrorists and to -- and to make certain that they can disarm militias and other unauthorized armed groups. So he's focused on the right things, and this government, I think, has a really good chance to work and work effectively.

RUSSERT: The New York Times reports that one of the leading candidates to be the minister of the interior is Ahmed Chalabi --

RICE: Mm-hmm.

RUSSERT: -- one of the Iranian -- Iraqi exiles who encouraged the U.S. to go in there in the first place. Would that be acceptable to you?

RICE: Well, we are going to work with Prime Minister Maliki, and these are his choices, but I wouldn't jump to any conclusions about names here. They're are a lot -- a lot of politics going on in Iraq right now. Democracy's broken out, people talk, people engage in politics. But he's looking at names that, I think, really will show that this is going to be a position of integrity and a position of competence.

RUSSERT: Is Chalabi on the list?

RICE: I'm not going to discuss his choices. I think as a prime minister --

RUSSERT: Is he up to -- is he up to the job?

RICE: It's for Prime Minister Maliki to decide who's up to this job.

Additionally, on the May 22 broadcast of Today, NBC's Engle uncritically presented the Bush administration's view of the formation of the Iraqi government as a “turning point” in Iraq:

ENGLE: But could the swearing in this weekend of Iraq's first full-term government since Saddam Hussein be a turning point? President Bush, on Sunday, said it is.

BUSH (video): The formation of a unity government in Iraq is a new day for the millions of Iraqis who want to live in freedom.

ENGLE: Also expressing support for the government: Britain's Tony Blair. He met today with the new prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki -- a Shiite known to be more decisive and pragmatic than his predecessor.

But, as Media Matters for America previously noted the Bush administration has hyped several other “turning points” in Iraq, including: the June 30, 2004, transfer of sovereignty from the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to the interim Iraqi government; the January 30, 2005, election of a transitional assembly in Iraq; and, according to Vice President Dick Cheney, the entire year of 2005.