Control Room: ***

This is a documentary about Al Jazeera, the Arab satellite television network, and their coverage of the "main hostilities" part of the Iraq War. It was embarrassing to be reminded of the propaganda and lies spread by the US military. (I got all my Iraq War news during those days from a Russian news agency, which seemed to be relatively impartial.)

While Al Jazeera is Arab, and obviously has a different spin on the war than Americans, their reporting was as fair and balanced as one could hope. Yes, they showed captured Americans and dead civilians. But it was true, despite the Pentagon's implication that such events were staged. "A bomb goes off, and they rush people in, covered with blood, to do interviews," said Rumsfield.

The most shaming bit was when we deliberately attacked -- in three separate near-simultaneous strikes -- independent reporters in Baghdad. What kind of idiot decided it was a good idea to blow up the media? (The Pentagon still claims it was essentially an accident.)

I believe this is the worst administration in American history. I'm ashamed that we re-elected them.

Filed Thu - April 27, 2006, 09:32 PM in

Return to: |  



.