Controversy Rages as TV Show Lists U.S. War Dead

Ironside

Banned
Controversy Rages as TV Show Lists U.S. War Dead

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Veteran U.S. journalist Ted Koppel devoted his "Nightline" program Friday to broadcasting the names and photographs of 721 American soldiers killed in Iraq, sparking outrage from conservatives who called it anti-war propaganda.
But Koppel said the ABC show, extended to 40 minutes from its normal half-hour to accommodate all the names, was a politically neutral way of honoring those who had died.

"Our goal tonight was to elevate the fallen above the politics and the daily journalism," he said at the end of the program. "The reading of those 721 names was neither intended to provoke opposition to the war nor as an endorsement."

Koppel said he was not opposed to the war in Iraq, launched in March 2003 to oust Saddam Hussein.

"I am opposed to sustaining the illusion that war can be waged by the sacrifice of a few without burdening the rest of us in any way. I oppose the notion that to be at war is to forfeit the right to question, criticize or debate our leaders' policies," he said.

The show was broadcast on the eve of the anniversary of Bush's May 1, 2003, "mission accomplished" declaration from the deck of an aircraft carrier that major combat in Iraq was over.

Since then a guerrilla war waged by a range of anti-U.S. groups has intensified and 134 Americans were killed in April alone -- the bloodiest month for U.S. forces since the war began.

The program was inspired by a June 1969 edition of Life magazine that carried the names and pictures of all the American soldiers killed in a single week in the Vietnam War.

That issue of the magazine was credited with fueling public sentiment against the war in Vietnam and conservative commentators accused Koppel of trying to encourage similar opposition to the war in Iraq.

BARRED FROM THE AIRWAVES

A media company whose executives have been strong supporters of President Bush, Maryland-based Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., barred its ABC-affiliated stations from airing the "Nightline" broadcast, calling it a political statement that failed to give all sides of the story.

Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican and Vietnam veteran, condemned Sinclair's decision "to deny your viewers an opportunity to be reminded of war's terrible costs." He called it a "gross disservice to the public" and the U.S. armed forces.

"It is in short, sir, unpatriotic," McCain said.
Sinclair company president David Smith responded that ABC "has adopted a strategy employed by numerous anti-war demonstrators who wish to focus attention solely on the cost of war." He said Sinclair stations would replace "Nightline" with "a balanced report addressing both sides of this controversy."

Koppel rejected Sinclair's criticism. "We do context every day. Today was just one program when we decided we would honor the dead. Period," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.

ABC News said it would make a special feed of its tribute available to radio and television stations in markets where the program was preempted by the Sinclair Broadcast chain.

A poll by The New York Times and CBS News reported this week that American support for the war in Iraq had eroded substantially in recent weeks and Americans were increasingly critical of how Bush is handling the conflict.

A spokesman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars group, Jerry Newberry, told ABC News he approved of the "Nightline" broadcast.

"We need to memorize those faces, know their names. Americans should get down on their hands and knees and give thanks to them," he said.

Koppel quoted the Pentagon as putting the latest American death toll in Iraq at 737, including two Marines killed on Friday. He said the show had not been able to confirm 16 of the names.

THE SOURCE

Hmmm, I saw nothing wrong with the airing of this show. I watched with tears rolling down my face. Why should we turn our backs on the Fallen Heroes?

Perhaps, Bush would prefer we abandon Memorial Day, as well!


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Barbara Bush: "Why should we hear about body bags and deaths. Oh, I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?"- Barbara Bush on ABC's "Good Morning America" on March 18, 2003.
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It was a good show and it was done to Honor the Fallen Heroes of the war in Iraq. What's so wrong with that?
 
Ironside said:
Barbara Bush: "Why should we hear about body bags and deaths. Oh, I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?"- Barbara Bush on ABC's "Good Morning America" on March 18, 2003.

What is your source for this libel? I do not believe for a second that Barbara Bush said that, and I hope that we do not catch you intentionally spreading slanderous false information here. Do you have a link to a transcript or any other proof?

Also, it would be nice to see you make a post unrelated to President Bush and how much you hate him every once in awhile.
 
I have searched for any confirmation of your claim about what you think the former First Lady said, and I have only found mention of it on two far-left-wing sites, and highly partisan websites are NOT valid sources of information. Provide a link to the transcript or to an official ABC site that will support your claim.
 
What are those sites NOT, that I specifically asked for as a valid source?
"Breaking News and Views for the Progressive Community"
and some "sneaky sneaky" site that claims to have the inside scoop and links to a site that requires you buy transcripts if you want to see the truth for yourself do NOT, I repeat, NOT, cut it.
I have seen this quote nowhere put into context, either, which might possibly make it believable.

And what is a true "slap in the face" to EVERY service man and woman, especially those who have given their lives, is to use their deaths and sacrifice to further your own political agenda while you sit back home in safety, a safety bought and paid for by the sacrifice of much better men then either of us.
 
I agree with Redneck. The media will always have articles that r full of bull. The people who sacrificed their lives for our safety, must be respected and not used for political purposes.
 
It is not in your best interest, Ironside, to post unconfirmed or false quotes from either the President or the First Lady. Not only do you ruin your credibility, but what you say on here reflects the credibility of this site. This is not a left wing fallacy forum. Only reference from credible sources unless it is for the purpose of open minded discussion.
 
You are all wanting to play the ignorant card. It's a well known fact she said that. I am actually quite surprised how many here didn't know that, and now refuse to accept the fact.

Unbelievable!
 
What is unbelievable is that, no matter how many times we ask you, you have been unable to provide a reliable source for the former First Lady's supposed words, and now want to play the common knowledge "card."
It is NOT a "fact" unless you can prove it, chief.

By the way, why don't you give us an introduction at the Welcome Center.
 
Ironside said:
You are all wanting to play the ignorant card. It's a well known fact she said that. I am actually quite surprised how many here didn't know that, and now refuse to accept the fact.

Unbelievable!

I'm pretty sure if she has said that on national television that all the left winged media would have been playing it non-stop until everyone had heard about it.
 
Ironside said:
You are all wanting to play the ignorant card. It's a well known fact she said that. I am actually quite surprised how many here didn't know that, and now refuse to accept the fact.

Unbelievable!

I suggest you change the focus of your posts in this thread since you cannot supply a credible source to back your claims. If you cannot do so, this thread will be locked.
 
ABC airing of KIAs

It was a good show and it was done to Honor the Fallen Heroes of the war in Iraq. What's so wrong with that?

I'll change the focus and tell you why I felt it was wrong.

It looked too much like a political statement. The purpose, as it seemed to me, was to separate the War in Iraq from the Global War on Terror.
Where were the names from Afghanistan, the Philippines, Pakistan, etc? Essentially, it was to undermine the current administration and its policies, IMO.

The first bit I saw made me angry enough to turn it off, they were portrayed as victims, and not soldiers. Completely disrespectful of the fallen.

If they wanted to honour the soldiers so badly, why didn't they wait until Memorial Day and interview living soldiers as well?
 
Re: ABC airing of KIAs

RnderSafe said:
It looked too much like a political statement. The purpose, as it seemed to me, was to separate the War in Iraq from the Global War on Terror.
Where were the names from Afghanistan, the Philippines, Pakistan, etc? Essentially, it was to undermine the current administration and its policies, IMO.

The first bit I saw made me angry enough to turn it off, they were portrayed as victims, and not soldiers. Completely disrespectful of the fallen.

Exactly my position, Sir. I believe it was Bill O'Reilly (sp?) who was talking about this last night, and mentioned that in Vietnam, Life magazine put out an issue with the names and pictures of the servicemen who had died in one week in the war, portraying them, as you said, as victims, and it created a massive outcry against the war, which I believe is the intended purpose of this program. Once again, using the sacrifice of our men and women overseas to manipulate the public to meet one's own political agenda is disgraceful.
 
Is Bill O'Rielly considered a reliable source around here?
And Fox News? National Review? ;)

Yes, I did actually even hear Ted Kopple verbally make a political statement when he said he supported the war in Iraq.

I do agree in a sense, that they were portrayed more as vitims than as soldiers. And, I think that's a legit concern. But, please remeber, we started this war on shoddy intel. This was a bait-n-switch from the war on terror. I would imagine many feel they were victims, as well as soldiers.
 
I do agree in a sense, that they were portrayed more as vitims than as soldiers. And, I think that's a legit concern. But, please remeber, we started this war on shoddy intel. This was a bait-n-switch from the war on terror. I would imagine many feel they were victims, as well as soldiers.

The War in Iraq (OIF) is part of the GWOT (Global War on Terror), like it or not. Agree or disagree with the reasons for the war or not. That is a standard. Another standard, is that every soldier there is fighting for a noble cause - and I assure you, it has little to do with politics. If you've served, then you know exactly what I am talking about. I have served in both OEF and OIF I & II, and it is my opinion, after being there, that one is just as much a part of the GWOT as the other. Oh, and btw, neither I, nor my men (despite our casualties) feel we were victims. And yes, I asked.

Is Bill O'Rielly considered a reliable source around here?
And Fox News? National Review?

IMO, that would greatly depend on the topic. Each have a tendency to report the news, but with a serious slant. I don't care for Bill O'Rielly, personally, and I can't imagine anyone find anything but opinion from him. Fox News, despite any opinions (I like to call it Faux News) is considered a credible news source like ABC, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, various international news agencies. Etc. I'm sure you get the point.

Yes, I did actually even hear Ted Kopple verbally make a political statement when he said he supported the war in Iraq.

Kind of like when he said he didn't know it was the beginning of Sweeps Weeks? :roll: Kopple isn't the worst journalist out there, and he has done and said some fairly decent things - but it won't undermine what seems to be the motivation behind the program.

This is an opinion piece written about Kopple - I don't agree with everything, but found it worth reading nonetheless.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/steyn/cst-edt-steyn02.html
 
I've put in an email to Good Morning America RE: the Barbara Bush quote. I think it's safe to assume that IF Barbara Bush didn't say these things, AND her crew knows about the websites in question, there would be some sort of lawsuit or move to take the offending sites down. We will see.
 
And when you find find out she said such a horrid thing, how wil you spin it into being an ok statement? That'll be interesting to see. ;)
 
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