An Open Letter to Dan Froomkin, Part 1, and anyone else willing to ask questions

Dear Dan,

Thanks to you for keeping the rest (over 50% of the country) going with actual questions, not attacks, for this administration. I was interested in your question to the mainstream media and general public for the lack of outrage over the "surge" in the war, otherwise known as an escalation, as there is no end given to the "surge". (Where's the Outrage Over Escalation? By Dan Froomkin Special to washingtonpost.com Wednesday, January 3, 2007; 4:44 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2007/01/03/BL2007010400803.html)

I, unfortunately, would have to hold a majority of the main stream media, the White House press corps(e), and to some extent, the previous Democratic houses to blame. And, of course, the Republican administration and previous houses were expert at squashing any potential outrages.

(See articles - and sparsely reported articles, at that - on "special sections for protesters" at Bush/Cheney rallies, "invitation only" rallies, and "people arrested for holding signs outside of designated areas" at Bush/Cheney rallies.)

The President, Vice President and Secretary of Defense have, over the past 4 years, gone to war against the better judgement of many in the military, refused to listen to their advice when asked how to go once they determined when they were going anyway (thanks, General Shinsheki), and then squashed any viable protests, while at the same time, using Fox as an outlet to label anyone who disagreed as, at best, unpatriotic, and, generally, traitors. None of this was true or accurate.

However, outside of a very few like yourself and Keith Olbermann, and a few others (Herbert, Dowd, Krugman, a few on the Post staff, probably anyone on this e-mail list), the rest of the mainstream media have completely capitulated to the Bush/Cheney administration (I can never call it just the Bush administration). They've done nothing but parrot the Bush/Cheney party line in terms of the war, Hurricane Katrina, and general policy changes. When Bush stood and delivered his demand for bipartisanship this week, none of the media in the pool asked about the fact that neither his administration nor the Republican led house and senate practiced anything close to bipartisanship, calling anyone who questioned them, essentially, traitors. They did not ask him what bipartisanship meant to him, either.

In the past, they've not challenged this administration or the Republican-led house and senate on the conduct or mis-conduct of the war. They've not asked him valid questions on what he considers torture. They've not asked if anything on a list of what we all might consider torture is or is not being practiced at Guantanamo or other places. They have not followed up on the sad behavior at the execution of Hussein. They didn't even explore simple things like the very racist ad run against Harold Ford, asking for his very specific condemnation of such ads.

If they are not willing to do this, and they either do not report many of the protests, or report them as fringe events, which is how any anti-war protests are handled in the mainstream media, they exist as enablers for the Bush/Cheney administration, as opposed to the Third Estate. That "estate" is supposed to keep the politicians honest. It is supposed to ask direct questions and not be cowed by being called partisan for doing so. It is not supposed to quit asking questions so that it can be "close" to an administration. Is this group of reporters who act as enablers surprised when there is also no public outcry as the rights of the free press have been dismantled under Bush and Cheney, as well?
At the same time, when any Democrats could have stepped up to join the protests, where were they? If they do not support this administration's views on the war, on Katrina, and on the dismantling of aid for middle and lower-income citizens, and the tax relief of the ultra-wealthy, then where are their voices? And their votes? (The next 100 days will tell us a lot.)

Perhaps... just perhaps... the Bush/Cheney administration, even now against the ropes, has effectively neutralized the press and the opposition party. They may not have neutralized what opposition there is, but they have neutralized any dissemination of fact and information as something of the fringe.

However, that fringe proved to be quite large in the last election. There may not be any physical protests, just votes. And so long as the votes got counted this time around, a protest was heard. Hopefully, that very old form of protest will not be neutralized as it was in Florida and Ohio. If it is, and if more sons and daughters die in Iraq, and if New Orleans is re-developed as a playground for the ultra-wealthy, then you may see more outrage... much more.

And let's hope the media and the Democratic and Republican parties get their voices and call the surge for what it is... an escalation. If they don't, then we'll know that the neutralization of any opposing voices or questioning voices has continued successfully.