Sunday, January 20, 2008

What war?

As primary fever grips the nation, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have disappeared from the front pages of both local and national newspapers. This has been going on for some time now as the economy clunks along and voters are looking in their wallets while heading to the polls. The war in Iraq continues to sink in opinion polls. I don't know if that is a sign of success overseas or that fewer and fewer people care anymore.

Yesterday, USA Today had a page one story on the security in Baghdad, but that has been the exception rather than the rule. My local paper, The Florida Times-Union, managed today to squeeze in a story about the end of a Shiite pilgrimage on page A-15 behind the furniture ads. A promo for "Religion and the hamburger" in the Business section rated a page one presence.

I stunned to read last week that there had been two major offensives under way in Iraq. I receive three newspapers a day and four on Saturday and I generally watch an hour of news every night. How could I miss that?

I heard about one from a friend whose son has been involved in Operation Phantom Phoenix.

It seems that with nearly 200,000 service men and women committed to our overseas wars, they deserve better, and so do we.

4 comments:

Infantry Dad said...

Here here Dad.
Some 4000 lbs of bombs dropped, hundereds of thousands os rounds of ammunition spent, forty to fifty ieds and rpgs hit Strykers, Humvees, tanks and assorted vehicles. At last count 11 lives lost in booby trapped houses, not to mention the wounded, the wounds that show, and those that don't.
And hardly a word on the news...
We wouldn't want to take the attention away from the primarys and caucuses now would we?
Or could it be the almighty dollar?
Which pays more, the ads, or war storys?
G W Bush or Warren G Harding?
Who's the worst President now?
Ah, now I'm getting all worked up...

Airborne dad said...

Dad,

I tracked some info on Operation Phantom Phoenix...thanks for the heads up.

Looks like the Pats are at in again. Don't think I will double up this time. Tom Coughlin has never won a championship game against the Pats.

Infantry Dad said...

I don't like the match up with the Giants..
They almost won the last one.
But then I think Bill will have a trick or two up his sleave for them.

liberal army wife said...

oh, we can't have news about the war... it's MUCH more important to follow the Spears trainwreck, or who wore what, or who said what at a debate. It's so FRUSTRATING!!

LAW