Nothing Wrong With Touting Good News

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_04/023407.php

NOTHING WRONG WITH TOUTING GOOD NEWS.... According to Iraqi officials today, two key leaders of the insurgency -- Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, and a "somewhat mythic figure who has operated under the name Abu Omar al-Baghdadi" -- were killed in a joint raid launched by U.S. and Iraqi forces. American military officials confirmed Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki's announcement.

Regular readers may recall that I've frequently argued that the White House has done far too little to brag about these major counter-terrorism success stories. I was delighted, then, to see Vice President Biden talk up the developments in Iraq.



Good. A strategy memo published in March encouraged the White House be more aggressive in highlighting successes like these, encouraging officials to "hype hit lists and body counts."

That strikes me as a politically sound strategy. Nearly "three times as many terrorists were killed in Obama's first year as there were in all of President Bush's second term," but the vast majority of the public has no idea that this is true.

Indeed, recent successes on counter-terrorism are one of the best-kept secrets in American politics today. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's top military commander, was captured. High-profile terrorists have been killed -- Hakimullah Mehsud, Baitullah Mehsud, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan -- while many more have been arrested -- Najibullah Zazi, Talib Islam, and Hosam Maher Husein Smadi.

For 14 months, President Obama and his team have been very reluctant to exploit these counter-terrorism victories. That's admirable, to be sure. But a little chest-thumping now and then is hardly out of the question. If the White House doesn't draw more attention to their victories, the public may not hear about them. Worse, when GOP hacks suggest the administration isn't "tough" enough, a lot of the public may not realize immediately how idiotic the rhetoric is.

Biden's remarks today were heartening, both as a matter of national security, and as a matter of political strategy.

—Steve Benen

"Celebrating" death, and "chest pumping" over the killing of other humans isn't really in the DNA of democrats. We aren't the "bring it on" type generally speaking. The political benefits are clear, but the moral/humane aspects aren't as easy to see. And much of this becomes an "in your face" to the Code Pink crowd, and some progressives as well, two groups already relatively unhappy with this administration.

able to defend themselves so we can get out of there.

They've demonstrated that they are perfectly capable of killing each other. The real question is can they stop.

I just want the US out of there.

Unfortunately, Obama refuses to leave any sooner that Bush negotiated.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=268907&mesg_id=268979

This works for me...

Top general says US withdrawal from Iraq on track

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100418/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_iraq

see dead horses; beatings.

train track I have. The train keeps on going around in a circle.

Which is especially funny in a thread where we're suppose to "thump our chests" over killing some people. All over a war that you don't seem to care about the outcome.

Obama wants to do one thing ~ get the hell out of there as quick as he can and turn it over to the Iraqi people.

He is not stealing billions for Halliburton and the rest of the crooks- BushCO was there to make money for his buddies and they have made zillions ~

Obama has thousands of other things on his mind ~ like the Mine Workers, Health Care etc.

Bush didn't care about one damn thing but $$'s for his Thug friends.

of the paper every week during the Vietnam War was. :sarcasm:

Benen for your reporting on it.

Since so many have an agenda to keep the good news hidden..certainly the corporatemediaWhores do.

.... to observe a moment of silence for the OK city bombings.

Not saying it was BAD .... I'm saying it was weird .... ironic.