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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: T L Comiskey who wrote (13586)	2/26/2003 10:19:19 PM
From: lurqer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Since truth is one of the first casualties of war, thanks for giving an alternative view. lurqer

To: T L Comiskey who wrote (13586)	2/26/2003 10:52:49 PM
From: abuelita	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

axis of evil? pahhhsch - phooey have you ever heard such nonsense? and yet seeming intelligent people expouse it daily .... it boggles the mind. it's all about perspective. your perspective is your reality. it's not rocket science. hoser

To: T L Comiskey who wrote (13586)	2/27/2003 2:04:43 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 89467

President Bush's Nation-Building Lead Editorial The New York Times February 27, 2003 President Bush sketched an expansive vision last night of what he expects to accomplish by a war in Iraq. Instead of focusing on eliminating weapons of mass destruction, or reducing the threat of terror to the United States, Mr. Bush talked about establishing a "free and peaceful Iraq" that would serve as a "dramatic and inspiring example" to the entire Arab and Muslim world, provide a stabilizing influence in the Middle East and even help end the Arab-Israeli conflict. The idea of turning Iraq into a model democracy in the Arab world is one some members of the administration have been discussing for a long time. But it is not one that Mr. Bush has devoted much effort to selling to the American people. Most Americans would certainly rally around the idea of a strong, stable and open government in Iraq. But they haven't been prepared for the cost of such an undertaking. For most people, the vision of a new gulf war is one of relatively quick victory, not years of American occupation. • In a speech to the American Enterprise Institute, the president described an undertaking that resembled American efforts in post-World-War-II Japan and Germany. This week Gen. Eric Shinseki, the Army chief of staff, said he believed that hundreds of thousands of soldiers would have to remain on Iraqi soil to create a stable environment for democratic change. Mr. Bush, a man who ran for office scoffing at the idea of "nation-building," is now betting his presidency on that idea. In his eagerness to get both American and international support for an invasion of Iraq, Mr. Bush seemed to be piling everything onto this single cart. While many Europeans and Arabs have urged that the president make solving the Arab-Israeli conflict his first priority for the region, Mr. Bush said last night that getting rid of Saddam Hussein was the key to peace between Israel and its neighbors. The United States is supposed to be working with the United Nations, the European Union and Russia on a "road map" toward a comprehensive settlement that would lead to creation of a separate Palestinian state by 2005. Britain's embattled prime minister, Tony Blair, has been urging Mr. Bush to talk more about that map, and last night the president said that he remained committed to it. But it seemed little more than lip service. Instead the president put Iraq in the center of the picture, arguing that success there would deprive Palestinian terrorists of critical support and provide the Palestinian people with an inspiration for establishing their own democratic institutions. It is true that Saddam Hussein has encouraged terrorism in Israel by paying rewards to the families of suicide bombers. But neither Mr. Hussein's political nor financial support has been the critical factor in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It would have been more useful last night if the president had fleshed out his vision of a new Middle East by describing that "road map" in detail and committing the administration to work on it now. Even under the best of circumstances, the situation in Iraq is likely to be chaotic for years to come. Neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians should have to wait for peace until it is settled. nytimes.com

To: T L Comiskey who wrote (13586)	2/27/2003 3:30:45 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 89467

online news for online journalists 27 February 2003 US public turns to Europe for news Posted: 21 February 2003 By: Elizabeth Croad Email: elizabeth@journalism.co.uk The threat of war in Iraq is driving increasing numbers of Americans to British and international news web sites in search of the broader picture. According to the internet audience management and analysis company, Nielsen NetRatings, traffic to the UK's biggest news sites, BBC News Online and Guardian Unlimited, has increased dramatically over the past year. Many of these new users are from the US. Jon Dennis, deputy news editor of the Guardian Unlimited web site said: "We have noticed an upsurge in traffic from America, primarily because we are receiving more emails from US visitors thanking us for reporting on worldwide news in a way that is unavailable in the US media." The American public is apparently turning away from the mostly US-centric American media in search of unbiased reporting and other points of views. Much of the US media's reaction to France and Germany's intransigence on the Iraqi war issue has verged on the xenophobic, even in the so-called 'respectable' press. Some reporting has verged on the hysterical - one US news web site, NewsMax.com, recently captioned a photograph of young German anti-war protesters as "Hitler's children". Mr Dennis said: "American visitors are telling us they are unable to find the breadth of opinion we have on our web site anywhere else because we report across the political spectrum rather than from just one perspective. "We're finally having an impact on the American consciousness. We're on the radar." The BBC News Online web site has also noticed an increase in page views since Christmas 2002, with roughly 50 per cent of their visitors logging-on from outside the UK. Mike Smartt, editor-in-chief of BBC News Online told dotJournalism: "Page views on the site have risen between 10 and 20 per cent and feedback tells us that visitors come to us for more impartial, even-handed news coverage as American reportage can be rather US-centric." Many European news networks have also noticed an increase in visitors from the USA. "The number of American users has risen to 60 per cent of all visitors to the World News Network sites since the beginning of January," said Emilio Larlori, marketing manager for the World News Network. Much of the feedback to European news web sites suggests people are no longer relying solely on the media in their own country for accurate and objective reporting. The internet has now become the home to a diversity of opinion as people choose to make up their own minds on how world situations are taking shape, no longer content with their own localised coverage. People now seem to be exercising their right to information an a global scale and, according to Mr Larlori, the influx of American visitors to non-American news sites illustrates this. "Visitors from the USA are using our English-language news sites more now than ever, as they are looking for news on the international situation. They want more information and more opinions on what's happening with Iraq." Alternative news sites such as Urban75.com and YearZero have also seen an increase traffic in recent months. Last weekend's international peace rallies were co-ordinated via the internet at a speed and efficiency that would have been unimaginable during the last Gulf war in 1991. This time round, in such a diverse news climate, governments will find it increasingly difficult to propagandise. Sources: whatreallyhappened.com wausaudailyherald.com news.bbc.co.uk nielsen-netratings.com guardian.co.uk worldnewsnetwork.com urban75.com yearzero.org