Troubling, But Certainly Not Surprising

In the article "Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon’s Hidden Hand in tomorrow's New York Times, we learn the not-so-surprising manipulation by the administration of the military talking heads as a "rapid reaction force" to counter critical news coverage that shed an unfavorable light on the War in Iraq.

Though many analysts are paid network consultants, making $500 to $1,000 per appearance, in Pentagon meetings they sometimes spoke as if they were operating behind enemy lines, interviews and transcripts show. Some offered the Pentagon tips on how to outmaneuver the networks, or as one analyst put it to Donald H. Rumsfeld, then the defense secretary, “the Chris Matthewses and the Wolf Blitzers of the world.” Some warned of planned stories or sent the Pentagon copies of their correspondence with network news executives. Many — although certainly not all — faithfully echoed talking points intended to counter critics

Paraphrasing Al Gore, I have to download my outrage to external hard drive to make room for more outrage.

Update: PBS has produced a report on the story, and had in fact invited the other broadcast and cable news outlets to weight in. Their response: crickets.