Congressman: Pull CNN From Iraq Embeds

Rep. Duncan Hunter Chastises Cable Network For Showing Video Of Snipers Firing At U.S. Troops

(AP)  A leading Republican lawmaker on defense issues has asked the Pentagon to bar CNN reporters from traveling with military units in Iraq because the network showed insurgent snipers shooting at U.S. troops.

"Does CNN want America to win this thing?" Rep. Duncan Hunter asked in an interview on the network Monday. In past wars, he said, the press was more pro-American.

"You can't be on both sides of the war," Hunter said.

CNN issued a statement saying the decision to air the insurgents' video was "a difficult one, but for a news organization, the right one. Our responsibility is to report the news."

In a letter released Monday, Hunter asked Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to remove CNN from the military embedding program, in which journalists spend time with combat units in Iraq.

Hunter, a staunch defender of the Bush administration and its handling of the war in Iraq, said the decision to show the video was irresponsible because it could encourage more attacks on U.S. troops.

"CNN has now served as the publicist for an enemy propaganda film featuring the killing of an American soldier," wrote Hunter, chairman of the Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives. California Republican Reps. Darrell Issa and Brian Bilbray also signed the letter.

The footage last week aired after it was obtained through a contact with an insurgent leader.

The footage does not show the actual death or wounding of any service member. In one instance, the tape shows a service member milling around a public area. A shot rings out, and the tape fades to black.

Hunter's fury over the video underscores the tightrope often walked by news media in the war. Critics of the war say Americans see very little of the daily violence in Iraq because of television's reluctance to show gory footage. Dangerous conditions also keep journalists from reporting independent of military units that provide them protection.

[foranc]

Rep. Hunter should shut the @#$%&* up and try get our military OUT OF IRAQ! Bush had no business putting the military in harms way for his own personal war!

[tejasdemo]

Typical Republican. Let's not let anybody hear something as decent as the THE TRUTH ABOUT IRAQ !

I wonder if this guy is up for re election ? And, if he really wants to protect these soldiers he'd stop sending them over there in the first place. I dont see his crooked butt over there.

[mjv2944]

Afraid to show the American public what its really like over there? He is part of the "stay the course" repubs, who got us in this mess with a lie. Give Americans a good dose of what its like living and dying in a war zone, and they will more than demand to get out of that mess.

[anniefrank]

Do the Republican's honestly think that we assume that there is no one who wants our troops dead over there? Come on, we are not a nation of idiots! Why is it so hard for the Repulicans to accept that we are at war and that bad things happen. I WANT someone who is intent on telling the unbias truth over there and not the Orwellian truth they want to use on the public.

TRUTH it is what is really important

[b4815]

This is why FOX is #1 and cnn is in the dumpster.Cnn did exactly what the terrorist wanted them to do.How can you even defend that network?

[bluestardad]

Pull each congressman out of hiding in Rehab and send them to Jail for their crimes.

[pghlady2]

THANK YOU DUNCAN HUNTER!!!!!
There was no CNN in WWI, or in WWII-and we did just fine. This is a WAR (PEOPLE DIE IN WARS, military and civilian) that we have to win and then get our kids the hell out of there. We have to support our troops while the fighting is going on- and support them when it's over and they come home. I am so sick of the Rep/Dem *#!@ it makes me sick. Their there and there is nothing we can do about it now except try to win and get out, and hope our sons and daughters come home alive instead of a body bag.

[observantx]

This is an outright call for a whitewash of what happens in Iraq. This is exactly like not have photos of soldier's coffins or exact accounting of the woundings and maiming that our uniformed men and women in Irag and Afganistan are being subjected to.

"CNN has now served as the publicist for an enemy propaganda film featuring the killing of an American soldier," wrote Hunter,"

Hogwash. This is more d*mn spin and distraction from how bad it's gotten over there under Herr Rumsfeld's complete lack of competence in running this campaign. There are two ways to lie: By saying what is not true or by not saying what is true. This is the latter. We also have plenty of the former.

VOTE these incompetents out of office.

[bluestardad]

If the truth be told Fox's viewers have dropped thru the tank and they know it is because the Nation is tired of their Republican Spin on everything. Fair and Ballanced to the far right is hurting them. GOOD!

[rsoxfan1123]

The media's first responsibility is to show the truth. FOX is basically a propaganda machine. If it was my son/daughter in Iraq, I'd want to see the truth of what was happening, not a ramped up propagandistic exercise designed to develop support for the war.

[perception5]

CNN has a history of supporting terrorists. In a poll that was conducted by Rassmussen last year CNN lead all other news outlets when Americans were asked "What news organization supports the view of terrorists?" CNN won hands down...... Fox was last in this poll.
You have Eason Jordan (google him) a senior CNN producer claim that American troops were purposely shooting at journlists. Mr. Jordan quietly resigned before a long weekend.
Then you have Lou Dobbs, a millionaire, claims to care about "little" people but has nothing to do with them.
CNN whole programming is designed to hurt our effort on this war on terrorists because of their hate for George Bush....... this is very sad.......

[shingles1]

Al Qaeda propaganda?
Kinda like the RNC's "Vote Democrat and You Will Die" Ad which highlights quotes from bin Laden and shows clips from terrorist training videos?
That kind of propaganda?

[b4815]

One of the founders of cnn said it was a bad thing for Fox to show the American flag on it's opening scenes....so you go right ahead and defend the COMMY NEWS NETWORK.

[gladetryst]

Maybe it will help people realize we need to stop fighting wars.

[terbutz]

Like most Americans I get my news from several different sources so no one can control my opinions but me. That means I want to see as many viewpoints as I can, so I can make up my own mind. I can't take FOX for more than a few minutes because the lies are so rampant there, but I still watch them for balance (not "Fair and balanced"). I just feel sorry for the people who watch them and believe they're hearing the truth.

[dualdragons]

"CNN the footage last week aired after it was obtained through a contact with an insurgent leader."
I would believe that means this was footage NOT taken by CNN cameramen, but aquired through insurgents. The sole purpose of the tape was to increase insurgent ranks...
One would think CNN had the brains not to air an insurgent promotional tape. Guess not...

GOP brainstorm? Nope, pure CNN stupidity. How bout keep the politics where they belong... in the political forums.

[jhindson1]

Bush and his GOP cabal have destroyed basic human rights by erasing habeas corpus and legislating torture, destroyed the right of privacy by passing illegal wiretap legislation when the warrant process was always available to them - destroying freedom of the press and expression is next.
The public have a right to know what is going on so they can form their own opinions - Wake up !!

[centralcal-2009]

I think everyone in the media, including CNN, needs to realize that the general public makes a distinction between footage that has been "obtained" (i.e., from a captured terrorist or terrorist stronghold) and footage that has been "provided" by the terrorists.

"Provided" footage, photos, photo ops are for one purpose only - propaganda. No matter how the media spins it, provided material is pure propaganda.

[shingles1]

dualdragons, that was my point.
The RNC complains about CNN using enemy propaganda, but then goes ahead and uses enemy propaganda itself.

[rsoxfan1123]

footage of snipers shooting is damaging to our war effort? Come on...anyone think people are learning for the first time our troops are being shot at? It simply gives us a look behind the scenes. We SEE what is happening- it's called news.

[interobserv]

If Josef Goebbels was alive today, he would be in awe of the RNC propaganda machine and its henchmen at FOX. Its unfortunate that we as Americans cannot bear witness to the truth, let alone expect our elected leaders to do so.

Let CNN continue to report the facts and let me as an American with a lttle bit of education formulate my own opinions.

[perception5]

Nobody objects to a "free press" what Americans object to is a "free left-wing press" and that's what we Americans now have. The phony stories, doctored photos, and lying books deals ..... have left the American people not trusting their news anymore from outlets like CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, Assoicated Press, NYTimes, and Washington Post.
Every single one of these liberal "political news organziations" work very hard at "hiring" reporters and journalists like "themselves", LIBERAL AND DEMOCRATS. No one disputes this fact. What we need now is for our liberal MSM to implement ASAP "affirmative action" plans that ensure Americans are getting their "news" not "views" for folks that came from all spectrums of our political divide.

[tejasdemo]

B...? "Commi News Network " Lol...you right wing fruitcakes are really something...Something so nonsensical you ought to have your own cartoon show. Transformers is it ? Lol

[tejasdemo]

Percept 5...I, for one, dispute your "facts". That is too say, you dont actually have any facts. You just have paranoia.

[perception5]

tejasdemo, that's because your contaminated...... by the folks bringing you this propaganda.......
Have a nice day.......

[webdepot]

LOL.... the right wing wackos are so predictable... Let's not show OUR guys being shot at... That would be dishonest reporting.. after all, we don't want the people to know that we are being shot at.. oh, goodness gracious no.! yea, right... it's war zone stupid... WE ARE BEING SHOT AT... and the more people that realize that the better.. These Republican nitwits don't want HONEST, OBJECTIVE reporting that they can't spin..
Perception-- you don't have the slightest perception of truth and objectivity...
Vote the Republican Bums out.!!

[perception5]

webdepot, I guess you consider yourself a "tolerant democrat" ????

[consciousnes]

Everyone has always known that war is hell and that the only people who actually want war are the arms and munitions manufactures. If there were no more wars then a multi-billion dollar business would be idle.
Find someone with hate or greed in their heart and offer them a gun to get what they want. What else do they need? Bullets and then more bullets. It is a never ending circle and the only people who win are the munitions manufactures.
The Human Race is just that, One race, no matter where we live, if you are cut, you bleed red blood. We should act like the family we are.

[rsoxfan1123]

The main complaint by repubs is that showing coffins, people shooting at americans etc. gives people a clear picture of what is really happening and the true cost of the war. It is easier to sell a war with numbers of dead than photos of dead people. It is one thing to know Americans are being shot at, another to see it. Repubs are basically trying to keep the war from becoming more unpopular because they caused it, they know it, and they want to get re-elected. Personally, I think we, as American, need to know these amputees and KIAs are/were living people, people's kids, people's parents, husbands, etc. When weighing whether or not to go to war, or stay and die for the better good of Iraq, we better truly understand the price being paid over there.

[alphaa10-2009]

centralcal said, " 'Provided' footage, photos, photo ops are for one purpose only - propaganda. No matter how the media spins it, provided material is pure propaganda."
------
Not necessarily. A good journalist can put in context what is displayed, and remains in full control of the presentation, hardly functioning as a mindless replay point for propaganda. "Provided" digital material will be more suspect since its content is more easily manipulated, but whether traditional photos or digital content, acceptance and use always will be a judgment call for the professional.

Remember the bin Laden tapes are widely distributed in their general newsworthiness, and do not represent complicity with the enemy.

Finally, there is no person really knowledgeable about the Iraq war who is not aware al Jazeera is completely mobile and digital, and easily could provide real footage from any of the many Iraqi snipers roaming Baghdad.

Above all, American citizens are entitled to have all the information they can obtain about Iraq, even from a different vantage point. It is the ultimate indictment of American media if our citizens are not at least as well informed as al Jazeera audiences. One of the first and best counsels is, "Know your enemy."

[houser123]

I find it hard to believe that Mr. Hunter would take such a stand. How can an elected representative try to suppress freedom of the press. Of course it's hard to see our troops being shot at, but I dont have to see it to know it is happening. Those men and women that have died fighting this disgusting conflict are testament to them being shot at and blown up. If Mr. Hunter does not want us to see that footage, I salute him. Only thing he needs to do is stop supporting this war and get our troops out of there. That will definitely stop the insurgents from shooting at us.

[rsoxfan1123]

Houser123 -as I said, it is one thing to know it and another to see it. It is one thing to hear dead American 2708 just arrived in a bag, another to see a picture of the man, his family, etc. Let the people who root for this like a football game see the fruit of their decisions. It is the least we can do for those that have paid the ultimate price.

[houser123]

Perception5

To qoute an old saying. You are entitled to your own "opinion" however, you are not entitled to your own facts. I trust each of the news organizations youe mentioned. So dont try to creat strawmen here, that idea just will not fly anymore.

[rsoxfan1123]

FARTKNOCKER2- right, don't let the American people see what is REALLY going on. Bush'll tell them the truth, don't trust cameras.

[perception5]

Yeah, let's ignore the war and pull out. The poor people of Iraq really aren't people afterall. Let's do the same thing we did in Rwanda and watch 1 million innocent people die. Or like what were doing today...... watching thousands in Sudan die........ as the United Nations does nothing. (but they are very busy putting out "human rights" reports attacking USA.
Yeah, we only care about American lives..... the heck with the rest of the world's poor oppressed people.......

[meboard]

rsoxfan1123, Once again I'm in total agreement with you! Its good for the citizens of America to see what war is really like. These past quick and easy engagements have made our people forget how bad war can be...and the polititcians eager to send in the troops. War is not clean...its not easy and its not cheep!

[tejasdemo]

Percept 5...the only contaminating element is you and your Republican buddies who, I guess, actually believe this ridiculous Nazi-like propaganda you dish out.

You have a nice day as well. I hope you come

[meboard]

I don't watch FOX News (for obvious reasons). Does anybody know if they have imbedded reports in Iraq?

[diegogrl1980]

perception5-this might help your perception. How the f*** is reporting an insurgent shooting at a US soldier left wing propangnada? ITS A FACT something FOX news isnt reporting!

prop%u2027a%u2027gan%u2027da Pronunciation Key -
%u2013noun
1. information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.
2. the deliberate spreading of such information, rumors, etc.
3. the particular doctrines or principles propagated by an organization or movement.

jour7nal7ism

1. The collecting, writing, editing, and presenting of news or news articles in newspapers and magazines and in radio and television broadcasts.
2. Material written for publication in a newspaper or magazine or for broadcast.
3. The style of writing characteristic of material in newspapers and magazines, consisting of direct presentation of facts or occurrences with little attempt at analysis or interpretation.
4. Newspapers and magazines.
5. An academic course training students in journalism.
6. Written material of current interest or wide popular appeal

[oleander8]

OK - so they don't show U.S. troops being fired upon...will that make Americans think all those American dead are being beat to death with flowers? Talk about something else Mr. Hunter.

[doodlebug35]

I APPLAUD YOU, CNN NEWS!KEEP IT UP.

[yellow651]

I don't understand why CNN wouldn't show the beheadings of civilians but does show the sniper videos. Seems like a political statement rather than "news reporting."

[rsoxfan1123]

meboard- yes, not to mention we have a president who sat on a bar stool throughout Viet Nam rather than fighting for his country.

[tejasdemo]

Percept5....Since you are such a humanatarian I wonder how you feel about the poor in Appalachia ? Or, how do you feel about sending some National Guard troops into the East St. Louis area to stop the non stop crime and violence that has been occuring there for years ? How about the housing projects, like Cabrini Green, in Chicago where little kids have virtually no chance of succeeding at all ?

Are they people too ? How come I never see you speak of them ?

[osidebear]

As someone who voted for Mr. Hunter when he was swept into office in Reagan's landslide in 1980, I do humbly offer my apologies.

Now, I just wish the party-parroting blowhard would just be quiet. And bravo to CNN for having the guts to show the American people just the slightest bit of what is going on over there.

[meboard]

Did anybody catch this jerk in CNN last night (situation room with Wolf Blitzer)? He asked what would be the outcome of WWII had there been reports covering the landings in France and South Pacific Islands.

[pakaal]

It's political posturing, just like the Terry Schiavo case. Hunter wants to make points before the election, the typical "gotta look strong for my electorate." Instead of just letting his mouth move, he should think about what he's saying. He thinks this could 'encourage more attacks on our troops.' Well, first of all they don't seem to be having trouble feeling encouraged to attack us already, and considering there's only like two hours of electricity a day even in Baghdad, I doubt if the insurgents are sitting around watching CNN for encouragement anyway.

[b4815]

Do any of you idiot libs understand the story behind this..THE TERRORIST WANTED CNN TO PLAY THIS...God help us..FOR THE SAKE OF NATIONAL SECURITY..VOTE REPUBLICAN!

[tejasdemo]

I applaud CNN for showing the real truth in Iraq. Keep it up. I would make one suggestion: I wish Bob Novak still worked for them. I'd like to see him embedded with some troops.

[osidebear]

b4815, your shrillness becomes you.