As we all know, the mainstream media are all corporate slaves to George W. Bush. It might seem to you like they're basically just the propaganda wing of the Democratic party, but that's because you're brainwashed.
Bear all that in mind, as you read this...
A link: http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50746
The U.S. has located some 500 chemical weapons in Iraq since 2003 with more likely to be found, according to two Republican members of Congress trumpeting a newly declassified portion of a government report.
Ok, that sounds like big news, right? I mean, we've been freaking out that “Bush lied” for three years now, right? “No WMDs, Bush lied!” Yeah, right. I just ran a google news search on the phrase “iraq chemical munitions.” As of right now, 10:28am MST, the hits are pretty much all partisan conservative sites. WorldNet Daily. Conservative Voice. The New York Post. That, plus lefty sites complaining about how Santorum is trying to get votes by putting this news out.
Now, let's be clear about this:
"Since 2003, coalition forces have recovered approximately 500 weapons munitions which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent. Despite many efforts to locate and destroy Iraq's pre-Gulf War chemical munitions, filled and unfilled pre-Gulf War chemical munitions are assessed to still exist."
So, we're not talking about a cache of 500 nuclear weapons in perfect working order. Instead, we're talking about degraded sarin, which is not a particularly advanced nerve agent in the first place. But it is a nerve agent, it is a “WMD,” and it is in Iraq. I'd say that's news, no? Certainly news on par with, say, Dick Cheney having a minor hunting accident?
Now, apparently the MSM is actually covering this issue: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/21/AR2006062101837.html
But it's apparently not a major story, or worthy of the sort of loud blaring freakout that a Cheney hunting accident merits. In fact, when I went to CNN to search their site for this story, I was greeted by a picture of a sad looking polar bear, and the headline: "Study: Earth hottest in 400 years." Awesome.
It should go without saying that the left is blabbering about how Santorum needs votes, and how he's a jerk, so this story is totally discounted by his proximity to it. It also goes without saying that the rest of the Republicans are sitting on their hands and failing to make any sort of political hay out of this story. This fits the Republican strategy very nicely. First, you allow the Democrats to lie and spin until their lies and spin become accepted fact. Then, when contrary information becomes available, you choose your most thoroughly embarassing mouthpiece to present it, thus allowing you to tip your hand with no gain at all. It's classic.
Now, please liberal web surfers, don't mistake what I'm saying. I'm not suggesting that these 500 chemical shells are a new story, are a bombshell discovery that has saved thousands of lives. It's just some stupid chemical shells the Iraqis hid and forgot about. But it's a story, it's very significant in the “there are no WMDs“ narrative that dominates the discourse, it can be spun quite badly for the Democrats, and instead it's being downplayed aggressively. Again, compare this to the poise and objectivism displayed during the Cheney hunting accident story.
The MSM is absolutely not ashamed to blow things completely out of proportion when they hurt Republicans in doing so.
When it's harmful to the Democrats, suddenly the MSM is very thoughtful, wants all the facts, and doesn't want to overblow a story's significance.
Funny how that works.