What Nerve
August 12, 2005
What Nerve
"One soldier fought off scores of elite Iraqi troops in a fierce defense of his
outnumbered Army unit, saving dozens of American lives before he himself was
killed. Another soldier helped lead a team that killed 27 insurgents who had
ambushed her convoy. And then there was the marine who, after being shot,
managed to tuck an enemy grenade under his stomach to save the men in his unit,
dying in the process. Their names are Sgt. First Class Paul R. Smith, Sgt. Leigh
Ann Hester and Sgt. Rafael Peralta. If you have never heard of them, even in a
week when more than 20 marines were killed in Iraq by insurgents, that might be
because the military, the White House and the culture at large have not
publicized their actions with the zeal that was lavished on the heroes of World
War I and World War II."
- Damien Cave in the August 7 Week in Review.
Reality Check:
"Which media outlet has 650 or so subscribers to its wire
service? Which media outlet is read by every television producer in the country
before they decide which stories are 'newsworthy?' How many articles did the
Times run on Sgt. Smith? On Leigh Ann Hester? On Rafael Peralta I found none."
- Professor Cori Dauber's response on her blog Rantingprofs.
The "Jesus-Like" Advocate for
Assassination
"And it introduces us to the gentle-sounding, Jesus-like Scott Camil, a former
Marine scout and forward artillery observer, who in a whispery voice relates his
personal journey from rah-rah patriot to trained killer to medal-winner to
self-preservationist Angel of Death."
- David Halbfinger reviewing the underground film Winter Soldier, August 9
.
Reality Check
: The New York Sun reported last year that in 1971 Scott
Camil called for the assassination of senators at a meeting of the extremist
group Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
Baghdad's Mr. Positive
"Senior administration and Pentagon officials, as well as political leaders in
both parties, say there is mounting anxiety over the $5 billion-a-month cost of
the war, an overtaxed military, dismal recruiting in the Army and National
Guard, dwindling public support for the operation, and a steadily growing number
of casualties, punctuated this week by the death of 20 marines in two separate
attacks in western Iraq."
- Eric Schmitt, August 7.
Alrighty Then
"The four counties usually visible from the ocean-hugging slopes above Santa
Monica have been to the clean air struggle what the Deep South was to the civil
rights movement."
- Felicity Barringer on the impact of environmental regulations on southern
California, August 3.
At Least He's Got His Priorities
Straight
"George Bush's failure, on the morning after 9/11, to call on Americans to
accept a gasoline tax to curb our oil imports was one of the greatest wasted
opportunities in U.S. history."
- Columnist Tom Friedman, August 5
Wishful Thinking
"Of the Many Deaths in Iraq, One Mother's Loss Becomes a Problem for the
President."
- Online headline to Richard Stevenson's August 8 story on anti-war
Bush-hater Cindy Sheehan
.
We Remember It Like It Was
Yesterday
"One reason for the activity might be the desire to be in purposeful motion on
another anniversary of the now-infamous C.I.A. briefing that Mr. Bush received
at the ranch on Aug. 6, 2001."
- White House reporter Elisabeth Bumiller, August 8.
Pro-Abortion Lobby Leader Just a
"Dedicated Mother Hen"
"Imagine that: the woman who infuriated Gov. George E. Pataki last weekend, and
continues to do so this week by denouncing him as a 'double-crosser' and a
'flip-flopper' over his decision to veto a bill that would make the so-called
morning-after pill available without a prescription is a dedicated mother hen
herself. Twice over."
- From Robin Finn's profile of Kelli Conlin, an official in the pro-abortion
lobby group NARAL, August 5.
Is It Safe? Don't Ask the NYT
"After Bombings, Few Signs Of Similar Attacks in U.S."
- Headline from the August 1 New York Times.
"Assessments Find Threat of Suicide Attacks in U.S.
- Headline from the August 5 New York Times.
You've Got to Be Kidding
"Is There Room for a Gentleman In a Debate on Judge Roberts?"
- Headline over a fawning profile of liberal Sen. Pat Leahy by Sheryl Gay
Stolberg, August 7.
