Generals flacking for the Cheney-Bush war policy

Gareth Porter discusses the degree to which the Cheney-Bush administration have insisted that their generals promote their political line on the Iraq War (How Generals in Iraq Became Bush's Flacks Huffington Post 07/07/07):

It is one thing for the commander to brief the press on what his forces are trying to do and providing an account of the results achieved - however skewed to show that they have been favorable. It is quite another thing for these generals to take on the function of explaining why the administration's war policy is certain to be eminently successful and why it is absolutely necessary.

But that is exactly what U.S. commanders in Iraq have done at the behest of the Bush administration. Much of what they talk about to the media has to do with Iraqi politics and the attitudes and interests of Iraqis rather than military operations. And what they tell the media about those issues is not their independent view but is a reflection of the current White House political message.

When serving military leaders put themselves in the position of explicitly promoting the political position of a badly discredited administration on a highly unpopular war, they shouldn't be surprised when their own credibility is damaged.

Tags: gareth porter, iraq war