PRESIDENT SHOULD THREATEN IRAN MORE, SAYS WATERGATE
CELEBRITY
When a veteran Navy intelligence analyst gets his knickers in a loud public twist over the number of U.S. nuclear-strike capable aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf, one might first enjoy the spectacle -- but then wonder: why such carryings-on to raise the military threat against Iran?
When the veteran Navy intelligence analyst turns out to be Bob Woodward, who has a national audience from his platform at the Washington Post, serious observors might well wonder what the motive for this misleading war-mongering might be (beyond apparent editorial policy at the Post).
But overt war-mongering quickly became a non-issue for most of what passes for the American journalistic intelligentsia, as twitter-heads of all persuasions were promptly distracted by the shiny objects of alleged and imaginary "threats" from the White House (gasp!). Finding the "threat" hidden in an apology failed to fool the mainstream media majority.
The actual news behind this empty-headed media kabuki about fake "intimidation" of the press was actually reported (and largely ignored) on February 6, when NBC ran with this false headline: "Navy to pull aircraft carrier from Persian Gulf over budget worries." The text quickly revealed that the Navy wasn't pulling an aircraft carrier from the Persian Gulf, it was simply NOT sending a second aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf, under a two-carrier policy ordered by Defense Secretary Robert Gates in 2010.
The change in policy raises interesting questions about the U.S. role as a possible peacekeeper in the region, but the NBC story ignores that aspect while going on at length about what appears to be a Navy cover story: budget cuts make the deployment too expensive, which is a non-explanation explanation.
Woodward
Worries About Maintaining Robust Presence
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
3
1
1
