I expect the DoD to refuse. However, I would love to see them release the tape with a statement similar in tone to this:
This tape is released to clarify the events surrounding the rescue of PFC Lynch. In a desperate attempt to find an issue that resonates with the American public, an outspoken critic of the Department of Defense has unconscionably attempted to politicize the war and embarrass the nation's military members.
It's incendiary, but so is Kucinich's reprehensible attack on the DoD, in concert with a BBC journalist who cannot come up with a cohesive reason to support his theory that the DoD faked the whole thing. (See this Instapundit post to explain the flaw behind this alleged exposé, namely, the lack of gunfire in the final edit of the video).
Kucinich is trying to have it both ways; by accusing the military of a staged event, he can either (A) emerge victorious if the Pentagon did stage the rescue or (B) sermonize that he was just trying to make sure that Americans received the whole story. It's obscene, and he should not be allowed to seize the high moral ground as the expense of the military. I, for one, am damn sick and tired of anti-military (not anti-war, anti-military) lefties who insist that the military is out to kill as many women, children, and unarmed civilians as possible. Kucinich certainly fits that profile.
Apparently, Kucinich is troubled by reports that there were no Iraqi forces left defending the hospital, and that American soldiers went into the hospital with their weapons drawn, breaking down doors along the way. One must assume that he would be delighted if there were still Iraqi troops in the hospital, and some of our soldiers were killed in the attempt to rescue Lynch. (Of course, the army had no way of knowing that the hospital had been abadoned by the Iraqi army, so their caution was essential and eminently justifiable.)
Another issue raised by the BBC report is that Lynch's injuries were less severe than reported. The reporter attempts to blame this on the Pentagon, but his claims are groundless. The DoD does not detail injuries sustained by specific members because to do so would violate the Privacy Act of 1973 (this applies to all government agencies, not just the military). In fact, the CentCom briefers continually declined to respond to questions about Lynch's injuries. The errors in reporting were not due to governmental efforts to spin the news; the media were doing it all by themselves.
Also raised in the CNN article was Kucinich's intention to file a resolution requiring the Bush administration to release the data that we used to justify war in Iraq. The fact that even Hans Blix admitted the Iraqis were in material breach of the 14 UN resolutions has not penetrated his tiny little brain. Not surprising for the only Presidential candidate in US history to preside over a city which defaulted on its loans (Kucinich was mayor of Cleveland when the city essential went bankrupt in 1978).
For an extremely well-written and comprehensive rebuttal of the whole BBC report, read this post over at CoIntelPro Tool. Bill Herbert lays out the goods on the whole story. It's a prime example of why the media need the blogosphere to keep them honest; they can't do it by themselves.
This CNN article contains the official US response to the BBC story. It clarifies and corrects many of the errors and distortions present in the BBC account, but in all fairness should be taken with a grain of salt.
posted on June 03, 2003 06:45 PM
