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Ah, the AP. AntiBush sauce with a dash of Rice. With a diet like that, no wonder they are wasting away.

here’s the problem with the AP version:

“Although that mounting death toll is helping erode support for the war in the United States, Rice said the job is worth finishing.”

Did Dr. Rice actually say that “the job is worth finishing in spite of the fact that the mounting death toll is helping erode support for the war in the United States.” ? No, I suspect not – it is not presented as a quotation, after all.

Thus, the reporter – who as a reader i have no particular reason to believe – interjects an opinion as an unstated presumption, and indisputable fact, that the “mounting death toll is helping erode support for the war in the United States.”

Against this ‘fact,’ the writer then presents Secretary Rice’s view that “the job is worth finishing” as a counterpoint. It is this unspoken and untestable editorializing that most bothers me about the MSM – more even than its more obvious partisanship.

By contrast, a fair criticism of Tigerhawk’s piece is that it appears to be a little rushed – which explains perhaps the typos and the the lapse from “Dr. Rice said X..” into simply “X..”

With proper editing, those failings will be easily cured, i suspect.

Ex-democrat,

Did Dr. Rice actually say that “the job is worth finishing in spite of the fact that the mounting death toll is helping erode support for the war in the United States.” ?

I was there this afternoon, and most categorically, she did NOT.

You can read the actual text of the speech http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2005/54176.htm She delivered the speech exactly as written.

What she actually said was,

Now, clearly, the path is made more difficult by the brutal insurgency that Iraqis face. Iraq’s security forces are fighting its enemies vigorously, coalition forces are helping and America’s men and women in uniform are performing heroically. Nearly 2,000 American servicemen and women have given their lives to this mission. And our nation will always honor their names and their sacrifice.

So let us be very clear about exactly who they and we are fighting. Some of the insurgency is fueled by the same thugs and henchman who enforced Saddam Hussein?s tyranny for decades. They fight now to regain the unjust privileges they once had. There are many others, however, foreign terrorists like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who seek to ignite the very civil war that ordinary Iraqis are trying so hard to prevent.

. . .

The choice we face in Iraq is, thus, stark. If we quit now, we will abandon Iraq?s democrats at their time of greatest need. We will embolden every enemy of liberty and democracy across the Middle East. We will destroy any chance that the people of this region have of building a future of hope and opportunity. And we will make America more vulnerable. If we abandon future generations in the Middle East to despair and terror, we also condemn future generations in the United States to insecurity and fear.

Ladies and Gentlemen: We have set out to help the people of the Middle East transform their societies. Now is not the time to falter or fade.

Of course, that wasn’t what the AP reporter was hearing. Fortunately, nowadays one can actually read the speech, and one can blog about it the same day. (I’ll blog about it tomorrow)

Incidentally, the one thing missing from the State Dept’s page is Dr. Rice’s stunning, dynamic, delivery. A riveting speaker, and a woman of great purpose.

(It’s also nice to see a woman politician who looks attractive, and without the Botox, too).

There were a few protesters outside. Indoors, she was greeted with a standing ovation. After her speech, she was applauded warmly and several of us stood up (more of us standing up than the number of protesters outside).

BTW, the AP photo has nothing to do with the speech at the WWSchool. The photo at the State Dept site is the correct photo.

It would appear that the public relations counteroffensive always demanded from the Bush administration has begun. We’ll see how many people read the transcript and how many quickly internalize the AP blackwash.

The AP is the most nefarious of the bunch. I play a little game with myself now and then when reading my local rag. 9 times out of 10 I can identify the wire service of the article I am reading, based on, usually, but not always, subtle and insidious use of the language. A word here, a sentence there. If I were a conspiracy minded person I would think something is going on. Unfortunately, I don’t need to be particularly paranoid. The AP is always on the mark for being biased toward the end of western civilization. I just don’t understand why, its not like there will be a place for them in the new order.

I’m just ready for a big change:

Assuming she will be strong for National Defense.

Condi for President – 2008.

Sorry for the OT.

Luther: OT, but only slightly. We’ve got to figure out how to get Condi Rice to run for President.

Uh, she is running. What you folks don’t know is that it’s in her interest to stay out of the line of fire right now to keep the MSM target off her back so she can do her job as Secretary of State. The time to run for the nomination will come, but it is not now.

I’m sure Roger will volunteer his services as as writer. Condi ‘08! Your No Botox candidate.

Thank you Roger!

APDD’s untreatable, but easily prevented with initiative and perseverance (such as looking things up on line, like the Beeb reporter)