The Moonie Washington Times Disconnect From Reality

The Moonie owned Washington Times is often little more than a mouthpiece for absurd and silly right wing propaganda. A recent feature published by Maj. Gen. Robert H. Scales is a prime example. This absurd feature claimed that Iraq now has 117 battalions, when all recent proof is that a few months ago Iraq had three battalions of about 2,000 soldiers able to fight on their own, but now is down to just one battalion of 700 men. This is no sign of progress in the minds of anyone but the Editors of the Washington Times. It is not the opinion of some antiwar organization that only one Iraqi army battalion exists, it is based on the best military intelligence information given to U.S. Senators such as Joesph Biden and others. Even Republicans such as John McCain and Chuck Hagel, both respected war veterans find real problems with the truth about Iraq.

In fact, the number of American troops was even increased by 14,000 recently in Iraq to 152,000 soldiers. If the military of Iraq was coming together as well as the feature in the Moonie paper claims, then why is this increase in American troops necessary?

But even more troubling is why such an absurd propaganda feature is even published? Is it solely to bolster the sagging poll ratings for the war by dangling false hope for an early American exit from Iraq?

But a good question is this, is there really any intent for the U.S. to leave Iraq or simply to scale back troops somewhat. Congress recently approved $500 million for American military base construction for permanent military bases in Iraq. And Paul Wolfowitz, one of the planners of the Iraq War testified before Congress, arguing that an American presense in Iraq was central to protecting oil supplies from the Strait Of Hormuz, which is controlled by Iran. And the U.S. still has military bases in Germany, Japan, Korea, after those wars. Today the Bush Administration is holding up the hope to America that the vote on the Iraqi constitution is central to American troops leaving Iraq. But is this really true? Is there any evidence that the Bush Administration wants America out of Iraq. In fact, there are new attempts by the Administration to station American soldiers in former Soviet bloc or allied states. Every effort of the Bush Administration is to expand the American military presense around the world, not to roll it back.

Even in Iraq,the war is slowly expanding to other states, as a number of border fights between U.S. Army Rangers and Marines has killed a number of Syrian soldiers, as Syria becomes the new Cambodia for border fighting of foreign invading insurgents. It is only a matter of time before the combat with Syrian soldiers becomes less covert, and an open truth. And only a matter of time before open combat with Iran over their nuclear ambitions and sending of foreign fighters into Iraq becomes a major friction point, rsulting in open warfare between the U.S. and Iran.

It's always curious when American conservatives and even the so-called religious right gathers in support of the Moonie Washington Times. It was not that long ago that that some in Congress helped to stage and participated in a Moonie ceremony in part of the Capitol building in which the leader of the Moonie cult, Rev. Moon was crowned as the new "Messiah", replacing Jesus. It is yet another example of the religious right and conservatives openly accepting false religion as well as the false politics promotted by the Washington Times. Whether it's support for Rev. Moon, The Washington Times, embracing a ceremony accepting a false replacement for Jesus, or accepting nonsense propaganda about the Iraq War, some conservatives seem very gullible to accept outright foolishness as truth.

Sometimes it seems there is the Moonie version of events, and there is the truth.