It was just a couple months ago that we learned the Bush White House was
illegally paying someone to write and publish “puff pieces” promoting the
administrations’ education agenda. Today we learn that the military has taken
the same course of action in Iraq.

WASHINGTON — As part of an information offensive in Iraq, the U.S.
military is secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by
American troops in an effort to burnish the image of the U.S. mission in
Iraq.

The articles, written by U.S. military “information operations” troops,
are translated into Arabic and placed in Baghdad newspapers with the help of
a defense contractor, according to U.S. military officials and documents
obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

Many of the articles are presented in the Iraqi press as unbiased news
accounts written and reported by independent journalists. The stories
trumpet the work of U.S. and Iraqi troops, denounce insurgents and tout
U.S.-led efforts to rebuild the country.

Though the articles are basically factual, they present only one side of
events and omit information that might reflect poorly on the U.S. or Iraqi
governments, officials said. Records and interviews indicate that the U.S.
has paid Iraqi newspapers to run dozens of such articles, with headlines
such as “Iraqis Insist on Living Despite Terrorism,” since the effort began
this year.

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There is no doubt in my mind that if Bush could have one wish it would be to
rid our Constitution of the first amendment. He has already broken the law in
order to manipulate public information but since he isn’t able to just abolish
that sacred amendment then he has a new country to play in that does not have
one.

This can not be coined as some soldiers just acting individually outside of
the chain of command. For this to occur it requires officers to be involved and
unless they are paying out of their own pocket, it must go pretty high up the
chain of command.

I wonder how the Iraqi people will feel when they find out they are having
freedoms limited by their “liberators”? They are already use to it but this is
just a further example of the suppression of freedom in Iraq. The saddest part
is that 80% of Iraqi’s want the U.S. out and that is with these paid “puff
pieces” being published. How many more would want us out if they were getting
the real news?