The Associated Press is known to among the self-described 'anti-war' when it comes to combatting regimes that support terror against the West and Israel. Of course those are often described by their political opponents as 'not ant-war, just on the other side', and the Associate Press has a case to answer.
That biased position is the background of a shocking decision that AP made to distribute the photograph of dying US Marine (photograph NOT shown at the link; I have not seen it), Lance Corporal Joshua M Bernard against not only common decency but the express wishes of Lance Corporal Bernard's family. It is an absolute disgrace that a news agency will use such tactics, for which I cannot see any other reason than to leach support for the war in Afghanistan.
There are reasoned arguments that the Iraq war was unnecessary, event that it was wrong. I don't agree with them, I think they are naïve, but there is a case that can be made. I can see no reasoned argument against the decision to go to war in Afghanistan. A private military force allied to and protected by the Afghan government and working from Afghanistan attacked the USA. That was by any definition an act of war. The only way that the anti-war lobby can damage the war effort, and help the terrorists with whom they sympathise is by sapping morale at home. That cannot be done by reason so it is done in this underhand, nasty fashion.
This has infuriated the military, not only because it is a disgraceful indignity on one of their own. The military support the campaign in Afghanistan. The complaints they make are about the conduct and the equipment, not the fact of their presence. From what I gather down to the front-line soldiers they feel the need to be there, but just want support from home. The AP is deliberately setting out to destroy that support.
Update: it appears that the publication of that picture also violated AP's embed agreement.
That biased position is the background of a shocking decision that AP made to distribute the photograph of dying US Marine (photograph NOT shown at the link; I have not seen it), Lance Corporal Joshua M Bernard against not only common decency but the express wishes of Lance Corporal Bernard's family. It is an absolute disgrace that a news agency will use such tactics, for which I cannot see any other reason than to leach support for the war in Afghanistan.
There are reasoned arguments that the Iraq war was unnecessary, event that it was wrong. I don't agree with them, I think they are naïve, but there is a case that can be made. I can see no reasoned argument against the decision to go to war in Afghanistan. A private military force allied to and protected by the Afghan government and working from Afghanistan attacked the USA. That was by any definition an act of war. The only way that the anti-war lobby can damage the war effort, and help the terrorists with whom they sympathise is by sapping morale at home. That cannot be done by reason so it is done in this underhand, nasty fashion.
This has infuriated the military, not only because it is a disgraceful indignity on one of their own. The military support the campaign in Afghanistan. The complaints they make are about the conduct and the equipment, not the fact of their presence. From what I gather down to the front-line soldiers they feel the need to be there, but just want support from home. The AP is deliberately setting out to destroy that support.
Update: it appears that the publication of that picture also violated AP's embed agreement.
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