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lambert's picture

Whaddaya know. All the military analysts you see on the teebee are on the government tit and part of a pysops operation to sell the war. Who knew? (Well, we knew about the White House operation; this is apparently separate.) Timesman David Barstow writes a good story--or perhaps I should say, writes good history, since this story is more than a little late--so there's a lot of good detail. Read the whole thing, but here's one revealing vignette:

On Tuesday, April 18 [2006], some 17 analysts assembled at the Pentagon with Mr. Rumsfeld and General Pace, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

A transcript of that session, never before disclosed, shows a shared determination to marginalize war critics and revive public support for the war.

“I’m an old intel guy,” said one analyst. (The transcript omits speakers’ names.) “And I can sum all of this up, unfortunately, with one word. That is Psyops. Now most people may hear that and they think, ‘Oh my God, they’re trying to brainwash.’ ”

“What are you, some kind of a nut?” Mr. Rumsfeld cut in, drawing laughter. “You don’t believe in the Constitution?”

Ha ha. Rummy, such a card!

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bringiton's picture

The giveaway should have been

how much these guys resemble characters in a Tom Tomorrow cartoon.

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Bluegrass Poet's picture

Always...war...Oceania

That's beautiful, BIO, thank you.

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