Just Think Good Thoughts, Clap Your Hands and Keep Wishing

I just tried commenting to a post at PA called THIS MEANS YOU, JOE.., but somehow was unable to put up my comment. Here is what I would have said there if I had been able.

Kevin Drum laments the success of politicians like Joe Lieberman, and journalists like O'Hanlon and Pollack who after dropping in to Iraq for dog and pony shows come back and wow the big time media with PR bull shit.

There might be a big conspiracy among the media elites and the Washington politicians but I don't believe a conspiracy is necessary. The big time media and the politicians are just like they rest of us. They desperately want to believe the war is getting better. They really want things to improve. If they just wish hard enough maybe they will. They are looking and longing for good stories.

They simply ignore important stories if those stories don't provide the evidence they want to find. For example, here are a handful of stories from the past week that deserved much greater attention. They were confined to the foreign press, the back pages of main stream papers, an occasional passing reference on cable news and blogs like this one. Army’s High Suicide Rate Suggests Administration Is Understating Cases Of PTSD; Iraq insurgents continue to think a step ahead of the American military;An Army Under Stress; and War Czar Whispers "D" Word.

In Iraq Suicide Rate At Three Percent Gadfly laments the lack of coverage of the very important suicide story.

Happy talk doesn't make it so. Wishes don't always come true. Sometimes we have to face reality and level with both ourselves and the American people.

Update--I know, I used the word "lament" twice in this post, but I was up late watching 300 on video last night, which got me to thinking about the old Conan the Barbarian line: "Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the women!" The human brain is a funny thing. Sandahl Bergman, Arnold's co-star, is a Kansas City native. I don't think she lamented much. Ah, Saturday morning and nobody will read my word association.