Pentagon's domestic psych-ops revealed

By Libby

The only thing that surprises me about this story is that the NYT reported it. I've long suspected that the Pentagon PR machine has completely infiltrated the homeland media market. I don't see how it could have been more obvious really. Now this investigation reveals that all those allegedly neutral, retired military experts you regularly see trotted out on the talking head gossip fests on the teevee have a dirty little secret that they somehow neglected to disclose.

Those business relationships are hardly ever disclosed to the viewers, and sometimes not even to the networks themselves. But collectively, the men on the plane and several dozen other military analysts represent more than 150 military contractors either as lobbyists, senior executives, board members or consultants. The companies include defense heavyweights, but also scores of smaller companies, all part of a vast assemblage of contractors scrambling for hundreds of billions in military business generated by the administration’s war on terror. It is a furious competition, one in which inside information and easy access to senior officials are highly prized.

Records and interviews show how the Bush administration has used its control over access and information in an effort to transform the analysts into a kind of media Trojan horse — an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks.[...]

Analysts have been wooed in hundreds of private briefings with senior military leaders, including officials with significant influence over contracting and budget matters, records show. They have been taken on tours of Iraq and given access to classified intelligence. They have been briefed by officials from the White House, State Department and Justice Department, including Mr. Cheney, Alberto R. Gonzales and Stephen J. Hadley.

Equally unsurprisingly, these 'neutral' experts deny that they have been co-opted but the historical record of their remarks easily exposes that delusion. Few people are unaffected by inclusion into the secret reaches of the realms of power. They're swayed whether they realize it or not and become tools of the powerful who gained their influence with exactly such calculated manipulations. Besides, even if they purposefully engaged in pushing the propaganda, who would expect them to admit it?

No surprises here. Simply more proof that we have more to fear from our own government than we do from terrorists.

Update: I love it when that guy who wears the footie PJs is so awestruck with my brilliance that he's reduced to penning love notes. Hell of a counter argument there but he forgot to mention that my mom wears combat boots.

Comments

[JWF]

"Simply more proof that we have more to fear from our own government than we do from terrorists."

What unbridled idiocy.

[Libby]

Taking off those rose colored glasses will probably improve your vision JW.

[Steve Hynd]

Aw JWF, instead of always sniffing around Libby and insulting her like a lovestruck teenager, just man up and ask her for a date. You've obviously got an unhealthy obsession going there.

Mind you, I think she'll turn you down, dude.

Regards, C

[zenpundit]

The NYT just noticed that retired senior officers often get jobs with defense contractors ? Really ? This trend started when ? '52 ? And the Times was unaware until the other day ?

The administration is not the only source of spin. :)

[Steve Hynd]

Aw C'mon, Zen - that's hardly the main thrust of the article. The issue is that the Pentagon deployed 75 analysts, funded their trips to Iraq, gave them talking points and cut them off if they didn't toe the line - and the media knew but looked the other way while presenting those analysts as independent.

It wasn't just TV - newspapers also frequently printed op-eds by the same group (the NYT itself had nine) and the Pentagon briefings for the propaganda crew are still going on, weekly.

Attacking the weakest part of the story doesn't really touch all that, I'm afraid.

Regards, C

[Libby]

What C said Zen and also the issue isn't the revolving door between the Pentagon and the military contractors. I expect that's been going on forever. The issue is that the media trots these guys out specifically as neutral observers instead of disclosing their conflicts of interest to the low info voters who are swayed by such spin.