RUSH: The last hour I mentioned to you that it was fabulous what happened on the Today Show today. It was a classic example of a reporter asking a question of somebody and assuming there’s going to be an answer, but getting one he’s totally unprepared for. It happened to our old buddy Matt Lauer on the Today Show today. He’s in Iraq, and he talked to a couple of soldiers over there. One of them he spoke to was Army Captain Sherman Powell, and he said, “Now, don’t get me wrong, I think you guys are probably telling me the truth about how well it’s going to over here, but there might be a lot of people at home wondering how that could be possible, how could it possibly be going well here with the conditions you’re facing and with the insurgent attacks that you’re facing, so what would you say to those people who were doubtful that morale can be that high here?”
CAPTAIN SHERMAN POWELL: Well, sir, I tell you if I got my news from the newspapers also I’d be pretty depressed as well.
LAUER: What don’t you think is being correctly portrayed?
CAPTAIN SHERMAN POWELL: Sir, I know it’s hard to get out and get on the ground and report the news, and I understand that, and I appreciate that fact, but for those of us who actually have a chance to go out and go on patrols and meet the Iraqi army and Iraqi police and go on patrols with them, we are very satisfied with the way things are going here, and we are confident that if we’re allowed to finish the job we started, we’ll be very proud of it, and our country will be proud of us for doing it.
RUSH: You know, I cannot stand up and cheer loud enough for these guys. This is the same story that we get whenever one of them returns and calls us on this program. Has it not struck you as strange, folks, this little apparent contradiction in this country, we have all kinds of Democrats and liberals, the squatters in Crawford, Texas, that are — oh, and, by the way, speaking of this, Cindy Sheehan is mad, she’s mad that the media is showing up in such numbers and destroying the original intent of her protest. She’s all upset about it, which just proves the point that I have been saying all along, that the media is simply using her the same way they used Bill Burkett, the same way they use all these other people to try to drive a chink into Bush’s armor and they end up exploiting these people, and it’s just classic. Here in this country, on our own soil, you have people who are doing their best to run down the US military, to make morale bad.
That’s one of the objectives. We talked about it all week. These are miserable, angry people and they become happy by spreading their misery to others. They enjoy making other people feel unhappy and miserable and put them on edge. They’re purposely trying to run down the morale, they’re purposely trying to create circumstances in the minds of Americans where we can’t win this, and we shouldn’t win this, and we shouldn’t even be there. It’s the whole point of trying to recast what’s going on in Iraq today as the same thing that happened in Vietnam, and yet when we hear from people who are there, when we hear from the men and women in uniform, when they come back, all we hear are the same things we just heard captain Powell say. And let me play this for you again, because this is a classic. I mean, Lauer just set himself up here and didn’t know what was coming. These guys first are telling Lauer how high the morale is, and how excited they are about the mission, and how proud they are of their country and how proud of their own success they are. And Lauer says, “Well, don’t get me wrong, I mean I think you guys are probably telling me the truth.” Now, what is this mean? I think you guys are probably telling me the truth? We talked yesterday about this attitude that reporters seem to have, their attitude of arrogance and superiority, that only the things they believe are obvious to everybody. I don’t think you’re lying. I don’t think you’re lying to me. Oh, I do think the military would lie because I think your bosses would tell you to lie. I think your commanders would tell you to lie to us.
When it comes to the institutions of this country, it’s fascinating to me that the military is always held under suspicion. And it’s always assumed that members of the military will lie. Bill Clinton, of course, never would lie. But if he did lie, we marveled at how good a liar he was. We marveled at how clever he was in being able to spin people, and we called him a great politician for being able to lie so well. But with the US military, we don’t believe what you’re saying. You’re just being put up to say this. Don’t get me wrong. I mean, I think you guys are probably telling me the truth, but there might be a lot of people at home who are wondering how that could be possible with the conditions you’re facing, and with the insurgent attacks that you are facing. Why do those people think that, what is it that they are seeing? Don’t forget, my friends, that it was just this week that the editor of the Tampa Tribune or St. Peter — whatever the paper was over there, called the AP and said, “Hey, I’m getting e-mails from all kinds of people saying there’s great news in Iraq that we’re not reporting,” and the AP boss in New York said, “Well, yeah, yeah, but our people really don’t leave the hotel.” I mean, it’s obvious that there is no intent to report some of the good news. It’s obvious the intent is to cast doubt, to dampen morale, but it is failing. The rest of the question is, “What would you say to those people at home who are doubtful that your morale can be this high?” What would you say to people who think you’re lying? (Replaying of Powell and Lauer sound bite.) Damn right about that. Most of this country will be anyway.
I cannot tell you, I get goose bumps when I hear these people talk this way. Thank God for them. And it just infuriates me that they are immediately suspects when they say things like this, but yet a bunch of squatters in a ditch in Texas are considered to be holier-than-thou truth-tellers. And I’m sure it irritates you the same way. I got another great answer here. Lauer then said, “Well, there’s been some reports in the media lately — and I’m going to get your feathers ruffled here, I’m sure in a second — the expectations now are starting to be lowered for what would be success here in Iraq. How would you feel about US forces being withdrawn before — see, you’re shaking your head, I can see it — before the insurgency is defeated?”
CAPTAIN SHERMAN POWELL: Well, sir, I would just tell you, and for the people who are listening back at home, that we appreciate the support we’ve gotten from them so far, and soldiers will do anything when they know they have good leadership and they have the support from the people back at home, and as long as we continue to have confidence that we are supported and people have our back, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.
RUSH: Captain Sherman Powell in Iraq today talking to Matt Lauer and of course the enemies of our military know full well that they can affect the morale which is precisely what they are trying to do. Happy, happy, happy to see it’s not working.
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