A letter I read today in the NYT, and which reacts to a piece by Thomas L. Friedman:
When Thomas L. Friedman says, “It still is not clear that Iraq is a country that can be held together by anything other than an iron fist,” it made me heartsick. I thought of the countless lives lost or broken and the untold treasure expended on this needless war, only to have us come to the same conclusion as Saddam Hussein.
T. Friedman was willing to sell this Iraq war to the public, from the get-go, then became critical right before the 2004 election, and ever since has been selling it again, or elements of it. He is not the only one: the NYT and the US media in general were willing to sacrifice Iraqis and US soldiers for something they should have known couldn’t work. Oh, but it is working, we are assured. The sunnis are sufficiently paid or cowed into submission. The shi’as understand the wisdom of order. Iron fist, indeed, though it can keep some of its softness still, as the US talk of 50 bases for who knows how long….
I have been generally disappointed with the quality of NYTimes reporting recently. This is especially so when it comes to the 2008 democratic primary and the 2008 election. The politics page often seems more gossipy and less informative. This ties in with the US media coverage of Iraq as the candidates and their positions on Iraq are not discussed as much as they should be. The media are more curious about what the candidates, and their wives, are wearing.