1115.org

Yesterday Sarabeth brought you the following exchange between annoying Congressman Dennis Kucinich and our thankfully former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld:

Kucinich: Did the WH have a press strategy on the Iraq war?

Rumsfeld: If there was, it obviously wasn’t very good.

The amount of mendacity, straight up lying, in a statement that short was previously thought beyond reach, but hey, Rumsfeld has been at this for years. Because the use of the word “lie” has fallen under an absurd new definition here recently, I’m going to spend a lot more time on this than I normally would when Rumsfeld’s statement is so obviously beyond the pale.

Let’s take a look at the the first three words: “If there was…” In a Congressional hearing, probably under oath, Rumsfeld wouldn’t concede the existence of a White House press strategy on Iraq. How do I know, beyond any argument, that these words were specifically chosen to mislead? In September of 2002, White House Chief of Staff said of the coming Iraq war:

“From a marketing point of view, you don’t introduce new products in August.”

I could leave it at that, and be satisfied that I made my case, but there’s so much more. Judy Miller didn’t pull her ominous stories of Saddam’s advanced WMD programs out of thin air, and she obviously didn’t come across them by solid reporting, leaving only administration leaks as the source for her “information.” And after her stories appeared, administration officials were only too happy to go on the Sunday shows and point to their leaks, now in story form, as “proof” of the need for war. If that’s not a strategy for war, I don’t know what is.

As it happens, Rumsfeld doesn’t even have to look as far away as Card, not when Victoria Clarke was on his very own staff:

“Torie Clarke is a gifted communicator,” said Secretary Rumsfeld. “During her remarkable two years of service in the Department of Defense, she has developed countless new methods to tell the story of our fighting forces, and bring their courage, dedication, and professionalism into sharp focus for all Americans. She will be sorely missed.”

So, Clarke worked for Rumsfeld, so he knew, beyond any question, that she was part of the press strategy. She did, after all, invent embedding, arguably the most effective tactic in maintaining support for the war long after it was clear that it was lost. Past that, he praised her for her “remarkable service” and said that she would be “sorely missed.” So he knew about the press strategy, and has in the past commented on its quality. But…but…but neither Clarke nor Rumsfeld work at the White House you bleat. Well, not working at the White House isn’t the same thing as not working for the White House:

Pentagon media chief Tori Clarke, who worked with PR firms and political campaigns before bringing a corporate approach and politically oriented spin operation into the Pentagon, admitted that she was running her shop the way she used to run campaigns. This approach was coordinated throughout the Administration with “messages of the day” and orchestrated appearances by the president and members of his cabinet. They were not just selling a message, but “managing the perceptions” of those who received them. In political outage, they used “stagecraft,” a term that once was used to refer to covert operations.

Add to that the long list of awards Clarke won, including those awarded by top military brass:

Her innovative communication strategies and public service have brought her many awards including the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, presented by Secretary Rumsfeld; The Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award, presented by then General Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff…and The 2003 Gill Robb Wilson Award recognizing outstanding contributions in arts and letters, presented by the Air Force Association.

So Rumsfeld knew about the press strategy because he was neck-deep in it; he directly supervised the woman whose job it was to execute said strategy. And when it came to judging the relative value of the strategy, he personally awarded her a medal. He knew, and he thought it was very good. Rumsfeld lied to Congress about his knowledge of this strategy, and he was either lying when he awarded Clarke the medal and praised her service, or he again lied to Congress about his assessment of the strategy.

Taking a step back from the specifics and artificial definitions of words, the Iraq war was one of choice. Whether or not anyone believed (or should have believed) reports of Saddam’s weapons programs, we were not attacked by Iraq. How do you produce support for such a war? By convincing the public that it is necessary. And the largest part of that is through the media. That the Iraq war ever happened is proof that there was a press strategy and it worked flawlessly. Too bad Rumsfeld didn’t place the same premium on a strategy to win the war itself. But then again, that would require some knowledge about military affairs.