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Originally Posted by x-factor
TR - Is it realistic to expect media reporters to have the same nuanced grasp of Iraqi culture, terrorist tactics, military history, and counterinsurgency doctrine as a man who has made COIN his life's work? Should you be wishing for the MSM to "get it" or should you be wishing for the government to make a responsible effort to educate the polity (either via the media or directly) on the issues involved?
Not trying to pick a political fight. Certainly the media has a responsibility (one they have not fulfilled lately) to educate themselves as much as possible on the issues they report, but its not a one-way street.
Put it another way...is there any reason that the President couldn't/shouldn't simply read this article as a primetime national address?
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IMHO, the MSM would refuse to run it, or try to spin it against the POTUS.
They have largely chosen sides, and success, victory, or giving the POTUS a fair shake is not going to get an opportunity to be shown.
And yes, before I let someone working for me get on TV and pontificate about the success or failure of a COIN effort, I would want to know that they were well-informed on the topic. You can stick with reporting the facts without prejudice or thorough knowledge of the subject, but the op-ed and propogandizing that the MSM has been engaging in should be left to the experts.
Finally, I believe that the majority of the American people care more about missing 30 minutes of some reality show than they do about a factual progress report on a COIN campaign that the media and Dims have already informed them is lost. Hit the remote, what else is on?
TR