Kristol: Media Overreacting Over Haditha

Posted by Jennifer Fox at 1:00 PM on June 5, 2006.

'The Weekly Standard' editor Bill Kristol berates 'Time' and 'Newsweek' for putting Haditha on both of their covers. Kristol calls the coverage "offensive" and states that there is "too much time focusing on one incident." This statement clearly downplays the fact that the "incident" in question regards U.S. Marines possibly slaughtering innocent civilians.

Kristol also states that "A lot of people who want us to lose in Iraq can barely contain their glee." Obviously Kristol is using "people who want us to lose in Iraq" as a damaging synonym for 'people who want us to withdraw from Iraq.' You really can't draw a parallel between the two.

When host John Scott asks, "Why not find a squad of marines that's done something really great and then put them on the cover?" Kristol replies, "Because that might imply that the war is worth fighting." Or, maybe it's because, in the light of the Haditha massacre, suddenly bombarding the public with positive images of the military is akin to propaganda.

You can't judge the entire military based on the actions of a few. However, by telling the media to sweep the Haditha massacre under a rug and instead focus on the positive actions of other military personnel, Kristol sounds like a conservative spin-doctor intent on keeping public morale high.

Jennnifer Fox is an AlterNet intern.