IT SHOULDN’T SURPRISE anyone that the editorial writers and opinion columnists at the New York Times oppose the war in Iraq. But what is surprising is that two weeks into the war, much of that opposition has leaked off of the editorial pages and into the news coverage. It’s almost as if the paper of record has consciously decided to play up the negative events and setbacks while minimizing victories. Consider the front page headlines from the Times’s Tuesday front and “A Nation at War” sections: “Rumsfeld’s Design for War Criticized on Battlefield”
“Warning of Doom, Edgy Iraqi Leaders Put on Brave Front”
“Under Blizzard of Bullets, a Battle Inches On”
“2 U.S. Columns are Advancing on Baghdad Defenses, Clashes Persist in South With Irregulars”
“Failing to Heed Warning, 7 Iraqi Women and Children Die”
“Pentagon and State Department In Tug of War Over Aid Disbursal”
“Battles In Iraq, Defiance in Baghdad and Quarrels in Washington”
But perhaps the most misleading war headline from Tuesday was “Bush Defends the Progress of the War, Privately Republicans Fret over Uncertainties.” The story that followed was about the president giving a rousing speech to Coast Guard employees (it was met with cheers). The writers interviewed two unnamed Republican strategists and an unnamed retired general before concluding, with no evidence, that “their concern reflected a resurgence of friction between conservatives who pressed for a military campaign to remove Mr. Hussein and moderates who advocated a more nuanced diplomatic effort and are more closely allied with Colin Powell.”
Only after the jump do we learn that “On Capitol Hill Republicans said they remained united behind the administration” and “party leaders across the country expressed confidence in the ultimate outcome.”
Wednesday’s headlines were more of the same:
“Most Britons Back the War, but Mistrust How the U.S. is Waging It”
“On the Outskirts of Baghdad, Arab Volunteers and British Have Mixed Feelings”
“U.S. Military Has No Count of Iraqi Dead in Fighting”
“Plans for Postwar Iraq are Re-evaluated as Fast Military Exit Looks Unlikely”
“Europe Assesses Damage To Western Relationships and Takes Steps to Rebuild”
A Times headline today let readers know that a “Heat Wave Approaching Iraq Could Force Limits on American Military Operations.” Only hours later–and despite the heat wave–allied forces captured Saddam International Airport.
Rachel DiCarlo is an editorial assistant at The Weekly Standard.
