http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/jul/30/cable_news_networks_buy_phony_war_critic_frame_hook_line_and_sinkerAll Three Cable Networks Describe O'Hanlon Or Pollack As War "Critics"
By Benjy Sarlin | bio
Trifecta!
All three cable networks have now described either Kenneth Pollack or Michael O'Hanlon as a "critic" of Bush's war policies.
As we reported earlier today, in their much-discussed Op ed today projecting optimism about Iraq, O'Hanlon and Pollack described themselves as harsh critics of Bush's Iraq policies, without noting that both were prominent backers of the invasion and the surge. This created the misleading impression that they were counterintuitively saying that the surge just might work.
Alas, all three networks fell for this line in a big way, playing up their "critic" status and glossing over the fact that they've aggressively supported the war for years.
CNN, which also called Pollack a "vocal critic" this morning:
"Still ahead. He's fresh from a trip overseas and striking an optimistic tone about progress for the U.S. mission in Iraq. I'll speak about it with longtime middle east expert, sometimes critic, Ken Pollack to find out about what's going on in Iraq"
MSNBC:
"Still ahead - is the surge in Iraq working? A surprising answer from a Bush administration critic."
And, of course, FOX:
"Well is it possible that while politicians and a lot of other people in this country are all so busy fighting over the war in iraq, how to end the war in Iraq, how to get troops out and when, that we may actually be, well, winning the war -- or at least making a whole lot of progress -- and no one's really noticing? Michael O'Hanlon is a guy making that case today - he's just spent 8 days there today, he's with the Brookings Institution, he's a senior fellow there, and a guy who's been quite critical of the administration's handling of the Iraq War."