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MSM Prefer Congressmen Whose Views Fit Their Iraq Narrative

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To clear any doubts you may have about the MSM bias against President Bush and the war in Iraq, just look how they covered the stories of two Congressmen offering their opinions on the state of the conflict.

When Republican Senator John Warner of Virginia proposed token troop withdrawals as a “symbolic step” to spur the Iraqi government to make political progress, he got top billing on an MSNBC evening news show while garnering headlines on AOL and Yahoo! homepages. An AP writer called Warner’s “new position. . . a sharp challenge to a wartime president that will undoubtedly color the upcoming Iraq debate on Capitol Hill.”

When Democratic Congressman Brian Baird of Washington State, a legislator who had “voted against the war from the outset and who has been frankly critical of the administration and the post-invasion strategy” returned from Iraq with the conviction that “U.S. troops must stay in Iraq longer, and that a precipitous withdrawal could have catastrophic results for Iraq and the region,” he did get some media attention.

His change of position, however, did not get top billing on news sites nor did it lead the evening news on any network. We did not see MSM reports that his new stance represented a sharp challenge to his party’s leadership. Nor did we see such headlines as, “Former War Opponent Favors President’s Plan to Complete Mission” or “Top Democrat Bucks Party Leadership on Iraq.”

A Yahoo! news search for John Warner Iraq yields 1,180 hits while a Yahoo! news search for Brian Baird Iraq yields only 61.

As more and more Democrats, even including a few presidential aspirants, recognize the success of the surge, with U.S. News finding that this success had shifted momentum in the Iraq Debate to the GOP (via Instapundit), the MSM would rather focus on the statement of a Republican who frequently bucks his party.

To be sure, The Seattle Times did publish Baird’s piece asserting that “Our troops have earned more time” which garnered a headline on the Real Clear Politics home page. But, his shift just didn’t generate the coverage that Warner’s did. And as U.S. News discovered, he’s not the only Democrat who have become more averse to withdrawal because of improving conditions on the ground in Iraq.

After reading Baird’s column, Glenn Reynolds doubts it will “get the kind of Big Media attention that John Warner’s comments will, because it doesn’t fit the preferred narrative.” Looks like he’s right.

Comments

  3. Truth and Republicans don’t mix.

    Wait, who was it that gave us Dan Rather, or Scott Thomas, or Steven Glass, Nina Totenberg, Katie Couric, Ruth Shalit etc.??

    If I believed for a second you had any, I’d say it takes a lot of cajones to make that asinine comment you presented here.

  6. Grasp – Grasp – Grasp for that straw!

    John Warner is not some republican. He is a former sec of Navy, and a senator for over 20 years with hours upon hours of national face time, a ranking member and simply a powerful figure in DC.
    Baird is a rep who I never heard of until today.
    If Baird is for the continuing – good for him but not really news except back in his home state. He doesn’t have the credientials of Murtha, Lieberman Hagel etc.

    But if a man of the credentials of Warner comes back from Iraq with a changed mind and supports the strategy of the dems and talking points of the dems, well that is news.

  7. Glad to see you so in awe of Warner, gil. Hold that devotion when he returns to more Republican views on other issues.

    Warner said exactly what the media (and gil) want to hear. It had to be trumpeted to the heavens.

    Its their own grave the media continue to dig. The publicity for the statements of a 12% approval Congress is the last thing anyone needs to promote when real information is coming out of Iraq so steadily.

    Warner isn’t going to take our troops out of Iraw and hewon’t make anything happen that Bush doesn’t want to happen. Let Warner grab his few days of stardom from those who will so willing trash and devalue him again shortly.

  8. Gil, in #7, I had anticipated such responses when I wrote the post. Please note that while his statement puts him at odds with the White House, Warner said “he said he would still oppose Democratic legislation ordering troop withdrawals.”

    And Warner makes clear he favors a symbolic troop withdrawal in order to promote political progress in Iraq.

    Meanwhile, other Democrats, including Jerry McNerney of California and Tim Mahoney of Florida, acknowledging the success of the surge have become more favorably disposed to the war.

  9. I had hoped patriotic liberals would rally ’round if things began to go better for our fighting men and women AND the brave Iraquis who are attempting to move into the 21st century. I’m still hoping. It is not too late to show solidarity with those battling for us.