Some soldiers in Iraq are being ordered to write letters to hometown newspapers (or, to be precise, to sign letters written for them) explaining how well things are going over there. In at least one instance, a soldier had his named signed to a letter he never saw. (Others appear to be voluntarily signing letters they didn’t actually write.)
Hesiod is all over the story. [*] [**] Capitol Hill Blue has more details. [*]
This is disgusting on so many levels at once that I can’t even get my outrage organized, so comment is left as an excercise for the reader.
Update: Latest rumor is that some Lieutenant Colonel drafted the letter. [*] So far, the letters seem all to have come from a single unit, so this might be a misguided local intitiative rather than part of the Administration’s coordinated “push-back.” Let’s hope so.
Military’s Snow Job
The US military is doing whatever it takes to present a positive image of Shrub’s occupation of Iraq. Apparently, “whatever it takes” includes misrepresentation through astroturf.