Sunday, May 01, 2005

Mid-Day Mike in Iraq

I wonder if a military controlled Junket to Iraq by WLW's Mike McConnell will be what he says is good enough for him to judge the situation there? If he was unable to go off on his own, then how can he say they country is safe? If an average person has to take extreme actions in order to travel around the city of Baghdad or if foreigners are such danger that they can't leave the Green zone without a military escort, then how is the situation considered moving forward?

In the article most all of the comments attributed to Mike related to the troops, their quality of life and morale. He has not yet, to my knowledge, commented on state of Iraq, based on his visit. The issues he was quoted on are far different than the state of Iraq. I do have to wonder if Mike is naive enough to think the troops he met were not screened for his junket? The military is not going to show him the grunts just off the line. Also, the soldiers are smart enough to know that you don't rock the boat, especially with a bunch of conservative talk radio hosts who would likely happily point out any solider complaining to his superiors for being disloyal to Dear Leader and buying every last bit of propaganda the Pentagon can produce.

I can't listen to Mike during the week, and rarely catch him on the Weekends. If any listeners of his show can summarize his comments on his visit, please chime in. Mike in the past was willing to not just spout off GOP propaganda, unlike most other Talk Radio hosts, but when it comes to issues of War and the military he is one who is unwilling to question the President (generally any president) or the actions of the military. That is a head in the sand attitude that many on the right have, and often leads to a lack in oversight of the military.

1 comment:

  1. Many of you try way to hard to get into politics. Yes, politics may have gotten us into Iraq, but it won't speed things up...it will take time. I was deployed to Iraq for a year with the Army in 2004. Here's my take:

    I have seen a lot of things. Things you don't consider. I have seen Americans and Iraqis working together one step at a time to make everyday life better for Iraqis. I have seen uneven distribution of wealth that will need decades to overcome. For instance, on a street you will see kids who are not in school that have little food or anything, and passing them by, is a guy in a custom made suit in a brand new BMW. I have seen a banking system that doesn't understand how loans work. If one was to buy a car he would have to pay cash for it...imagine that in the US. World agencies were giving these banks money to use for loans in order to build up trust in the system.

    I traveled on a roadside that seemed peacful, but 1 out of 100 times would see danger. I have seen 100's of reporters risking their lives to get the truth, but missing much of the good news...we know...if it bleeds it leads. I have seen woman who are tech savy, but get harrassed when they go to the local internet cafe. I witnessed President Talabani's enormous influence and unselfish attitude. I even saw him serve food to Iraqi and American soldiers during an event at his house. There is progress you just have to want to see it.

    The hardest thing I have had to deal with are the soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. They will not be forgotten, but the mission cannot be a success if they hide in a corner.

    As far as "Mid-Day Mike in Iraq," There is no way he can find every detail about the success and failure we encounter, at least he is willing to take a risk to see first hand what he has been talking about for a couple years now.

    ReplyDelete

Don't be an idiot or your comment will be deleted.