More On Iraqiganda: Confirmed!

According to Reuters, the White House has expressed 'concern' over the US military secretly funneling American Happy Items to Iraqi media outlets.

Is this an admission that someone knew? Apparently they do now.

Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch speaking about the allegations:

Lynch replied that al Qaeda leaders believe "half the battle is the battlefield of the media," citing a letter, released by the United States in October, said to have been written by al Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri, to the extremist network's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

"And what Zarqawi's doing continuously is lying to the Iraqi people, lying to the international community, conducting these kidnappings, these beheadings, these explosions so that he gets international coverage to look like he has more capability than he truly has," Lynch said.

How is one to read this? Is it that if Zarqawi's doing it, we get the green light to follow suit?

Is this the Zarqawi letter that has had its veracity questioned? It's the only letter of which I am aware.

Some more stuff:

'WE DON'T LIE'

"We don't lie. We don't need to lie. We do empower our operational commanders with the ability to inform the Iraqi public, but everything we do is based on fact not based on fiction," Lynch said.

Okay, this should easy enough to confirm. Let's get all the facts out on the table, and let some neutral party investigate any claims made. Seems simple enough. Too simple. It'll never happen.

Lynch did not explicitly confirm the practice of paying newspapers to run pro-American articles, first reported on Wednesday by The Los Angeles Times, but other officials did confirm it. The Times also reported that the military had bought an Iraqi newspaper and taken control of a radio station to disseminate pro-American views.

A senior State Department official, who asked for anonymity because his views could be seen as critical of the Pentagon, said the reports of planted stories undermined U.S. diplomats' efforts to foster democracy in Iraq.

Sen. John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat defeated by President George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election, told reporters at the White House, "I think that the United States of America paying for stories in Iraqi papers undermines America's credibility."

"What we need are Iraqis who really believe what they're saying and say it for themselves," Kerry said.

Eek! I agree with Kerry. He's been in a lot of weird places politically lately, but I agree that this is the path to initiating integrity in Iraq. We have to start somewhere.

A defense contractor involved in the effort, Washington-based public relations and strategic communications firm Lincoln Group, declined to detail its activities.

Ahh, no comment from the viper's den. That's pretty shocking ;)

[Scott] McClellan said Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had indicated Pentagon officials are looking into the matter. "We need to know what the facts are. Gen. Pace indicated it was news to him as well," McClellan said.

So, other officials have confirmed the existence of the Happy Time stories, but the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs doesn't know anything about their existence. That's convenient.

At least Scotty didn't go into reflexive denial mode. Perhaps having his mouth crammed full of his feet so many times, he has learned something...Nah!!

Am I the only one to see that it's not criticism of the war that hurts troop morale, but the inane way in which it is being conducted? That has to really effect the troops.

If I was in uniform I'd be livid. I'm trying to stay alive and get home, whilst we are going out of way to undermine my ability to continue to inhabit this planet above ground. I'd be god damnned pissed off. Hell, I am pissed off!