WOULDN'T OUR NEWS MEDIA TELL US IF

ANYTHING GOOD HAPPENED IN IRAQ?

     Did President George Bush tell the truth in his speech Monday night,

May 24 at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Penn., when he reported

to the nation about his strategy in Iraq and specific steps being taken

to achieve these goals.

     The four national TV networks refused to telecast anything but small

segments of this speech later, but several cable TV and radio stations

broadcast the entire speech live.

     How could Bush's stories about the great strides being made to

rebuild Iraq be true, since the news media doesn't mention this?

     Bush claimed that many of Iraq's cities and towns now have elected

town councils and city governments, and where Iraqis have met to discuss

their country's future, they endorsed and are practicing representative

government. Wouldn't the news media tell us if this were true?

     Bush claimed that many functions of government have been transferred

to Iraqis, that twelve government ministries are currently under the

direct control of Iraqis, and that the Ministry of Education is now out

of the propaganda business and has trained more than 30,000 teachers and

supervisors for schools in Iraq. Wouldn't the news media tell us if this

were true?

     Bush claimed that the Coalition has already helped Iraqis rebuild

their schools and refurbish their hospitals and health clinics, repair

bridges, upgrade their electric grid, modernize their communication

system, and continues rebuilding that nation's infrastructure so that a

free Iraq can quickly gain independence and a better quality of life.

Wouldn't it be impossible for our news media not to report good news like

this if it were true?

     Bush claimed that a growing private economy is taking shape in Iraq.

A new currency has been introduced. Iraq's governing council approved a

new law that opens the country to foreign investment for the first time

in decades. Iraq has liberalized its trade policy. And now an Iraqi

observer attends meetings of the World Trade Organization. Iraqi oil

production has reached more than two billion barrels per day, bringing

revenues of nearly six billion dollars so far this year, which is being

used to help the Iraqi people. How could our news media not think Iraqi

economy was important if this were true?

     Bush claimed that many of Iraq's largest creditors have pledged to

forgive or reduce Iraqi debt incurred by Saddam Hussein's former regime.

Other nations are being urged to contribute to Iraq reconstruction, and

37 countries, the IMF, and the World Bank have so far pledged $13.5

billion in aid. How can this be true if the news media hasn't told us?

     Isn't it true that the only things happening in Iraq are killings and

wounding, suicide bombing, terror attacks, insurgencies, infrastructure

sabotaged by terrorists, citizens brutalized by Coalition troops, and

unhappy Iraqis like the Sunnis complaining that they had it so much

better under Hussein. You can believe this is true because the news

media tells us this is how it is and that nothing good can happen there.

     What about those Coalition troops, visiting Congressmen, contract

workers, and foremost Middle East news media all telling us the same

tall tales about Iraq that Bush is telling us? You know that our liberal

news media, rejected office holders, and politicians wanting to win the

election are telling the truth when they claim that Iraq is a quagmire

and everything there is being done wrong. You can be certain they must

be telling the truth when they call all Bush administration officials

liars, because they should know -- it takes one to know one!

--REAL NEWS Editor thenewsman@ij.net