NYT: U.S. Officials Retool Slogan for Terror War

[DeepModem Mom]

U.S. Officials Retool Slogan for Terror War
By ERIC SCHMITT and THOM SHANKER
Published: July 26, 2005


WASHINGTON, July 25 - The Bush administration is retooling its slogan for the fight against Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, pushing the idea that the long-term struggle is as much an ideological battle as a military mission, senior administration and military officials said Monday.

In recent speeches and news conferences, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and the nation's senior military officer have spoken of "a global struggle against violent extremism" rather than "the global war on terror," which had been the catchphrase of choice. Administration officials say that phrase may have outlived its usefulness, because it focused attention solely, and incorrectly, on the military campaign.

Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the National Press Club on Monday that he had "objected to the use of the term 'war on terrorism' before, because if you call it a war, then you think of people in uniform as being the solution." He said the threat instead should be defined as violent extremists, with the recognition that "terror is the method they use."

Although the military is heavily engaged in the mission now, he said, future efforts require "all instruments of our national power, all instruments of the international communities' national power." The solution is "more diplomatic, more economic, more political than it is military," he concluded.

Administration and Pentagon officials say the revamped campaign has grown out of meetings of President Bush's senior national security advisers that began in January, and it reflects the evolution in Mr. Bush's own thinking nearly four years after the Sept. 11 attacks....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/26/politics/26strategy.html

[fooj]

1. Murder is murder is murder is murder is murder. Period.

Torture is torture is torture. Period.

They can "retool" it any way that they'd like. A lie is a lie.

peace.

[leQ]

2. what a loverly idea for a game... let's play name that war (eom)

[katty]

36. NOW they're changing it?!@-Ramp up the new Propaganda

catch phrases to MIS-INFORM even more...too late-you're busted.

[hatrack]

3. Wouldn't want to flog that "war" imagery too much, now would we?

If we do, people will start to think about soldiers and uniforms and Humvees and roadside bombs and then they'll start to remember all that deep, deep shit we're rolling around in.

No wonder they want to stress a "more diplomatic, more economic, more political" approach. :puke:

[Buns_of_Fire]

35. "...more diplomatic, more economic, more political..."

Diplomatic? Under boosh* and the likes of Mr. Captain Kangaroo Moustache Crazy Person?

We're doomed. :hide:

[greekspeak]

4. So they are going to fight themselves?

"a global struggle against violent extremism" is what BushCo is doing. Or am I totally wrong?

[despairing optimist]

5. If you retool a Pinto, it's still a Pinto

These guys want to set the odometer back. Sometimes pathetic is funny, but when thousands are dead and millions of lives ruined, pathetic is tragic and scary. Bloody hands and closed minds aren't good tools for effective policymaking, as if the past several years haven't demonstrated that oh so forcefully and repeatedly. To read about "solutions" from the chief problem causers is too perverse for words and way too much to take this early in the week.

Get the impeachment articles moving. Then we'll see some real solutions from more respectable players.

[MetaTrope]

6. Here's one: "The seed of peace, not dragon's teeth"

Or better still!

[wli]

7. they're going to go after the left in America

Designed purely for domestic purposes.

[sweetheart]

8. This is like a snake eathing its own tail

Will they eat themselves?

Slogans:

"Don't tread on myself."

"Lots of black kettles and pots need cleaning."

"Kill all people with extremist ideology."

:-)

Man are these stupid assholes " S T U P I D "
,and the worst of it is that they expect to be paid for it!

[IndianaGreen]

9. How about this slogan: US out of the Middle East!

Stop supporting oppressive regimes in the Middle East.

Out of Iraq!

Out of Afghanistan!

[ninkasi]

11. I like your slogans, IG

The truth is, these endless wars are consuming enormous quantities of the oil we are trying to steal. The money could be much better spent on making conditions better in our own country, spending money on our crumbling infrastructure, education our children, keeping good paying jobs here, and countless other beneficial programs.

We could start using money to develop alternative energy sources, instead of using the remaining oil fighting over it, killing and torturing others, and killing and maiming our own soldiers.

A good second step...after getting out of Iraq...would be to roll back the tax cuts on the rich, and start letting them pay their fair share of what the rest of us are breaking our backs, health, and spirits to provide for them.

[truthisfreedom]

10. these slogans are forged years in advance, and each is a stepping stone

placed after the last one, slowly leading us by our noses to a destination planned long ago. "re-tooling?" "outlived its usefulness?" these are code words and phrases revealing that the slogans are tools of propaganda used for thought control, and nothing more. they want a complacent public they can lead to the bright shining star of their new world odor.

[kskiska]

12. Washington recasts terror war as 'struggle'

WASHINGTON The Bush administration is retooling its slogan for the fight against Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, pushing the idea that the long-term struggle is as much an ideological battle as a military mission, according to senior administration and military officials.

In recent speeches and news conferences, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the country's top military officer have spoken of "a global struggle against violent extremism" rather than "the global war on terror," which had been the catchphrase of choice.

Administration officials say the earlier phrase may have outlived its usefulness, because it focused attention solely, and incorrectly, on the military campaign.

(snip)

The language shift also comes at a time when Bush, with a new appointment for one of his most trusted aides, Karen Hughes, is trying to bolster the State Department's efforts at public diplomacy.

Lawrence Di Rita, Rumsfeld's spokesman, said the change in language "is not a shift in thinking, but a continuation of the immediate post-9/11 approach."

more…
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/07/26/news/terror.php

[jsamuel]

13. WAR equals DEATH FOR TREASON... NO WAR equals NO DEATH FOR TREASON

[Blackthorn]

14. "a global struggle against violent extremism"

Takes one to know one huh.

[The Doctor.]

15. Will ya look at the baby O'Briens...

Trying to make some goodspeak.

If things keep going like this... they'll succeed one day.

[54anickel]

16. Cripes, that has Hughs all over it too! Looks like she axed the

"war of ideas" they floated the other day. Soemhow I can't see Rummy coming up with "global struggle against violent extremism".

Can't you just hear her in that lecturing tone?

"Now Donald, we've got to stop this "war" business. This is hard work, a struggle. And we need to stop using the word Muslim. How the hell am I going to introduce them to our American ways if you keep tying this adventure to them. Use the term 'violent extremism' instead. We'll all still know who you're talking about."

[Panda1]

21. That makes perfect sense.

It sounds just like Karen.

[Mountainman]

17. To repukes everything can be solved with a little PR.

They never think to change their schemes just the way people perceive them. The war is going badly? Don't call it a war any more. Wa la no problem anymore.

[Cha]

20. They had a one, charlotte beers as

their pr person at one point..I think I read that she resigned.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/03/03/state.resignation/

Yeah, she did.

[54anickel]

22. OMG Great quote in that one

The gap between who we are and how we wish to be seen, and how we are in fact seen, is frighteningly wide," Beers told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.

Of course, I'd strike out the second instance of the word seen. Perfect description of Bushco.

[MisterP]

25. and death, preferrably both

[Ksec]

18. They still believe its the message, not their actions.

unbelievably dense, they are.

[peacebird]

19. global struggle against violent extremism - GSAVE

is that George SAVEs or God SAVEs


:puke:


just asking... it seems so obvious to me. It can't be just a coincidence.

[bettyellen]

29. CNN just reported this and i was shocked

because i thought they actually noticed it on their own.

[VegasWolf]

23. How about "Murder's R' Us?" nt

[Canuckistanian]

24. Appeasers! Terrorist Lovers!

Gen. Myers had better get with the program! He's Blaming America First(tm)!

[leesa]

26. These people are completely demented.

Did ALL of them work for the advertising business before they went into politics? Not selling well so they intend to re-package it.

[Theduckno2]

27. Remember, we went to Iraq to find.......

Saddam's Weapons of Mass Destruction..... programs. :sarcasm:
My heart goes out for all those that lost loved ones or were wounded while taking part in the 'struggle'. I don't think they will be getting any ticker tape parades either. I hope our troops come home soon.

[Ivan Sputnik]

28. "evolution in Mr. Bush's own thinking"?

What a laugh.

[Demeter]

30. Yeah, Bush Doesn't Believe In Evolution!

He's into Creationism. God intervenes. What do we call people who think God is talking to them? Oh, yes: Delusional!

[BiggJawn]

31. "Unser Kampf" A new book by Donald Rumsferatu....

Wash a Pig, dress a Pig, put lipstick on a Pig, STILL a Pig.

[gulliver]

32. Decoupling from the Iraq war. Wonder why. n/t

[MO_Dem]

33. Military recruiters can now say.....

"join up, you won't have to go to war". Yeah, I bet that will work really, really well (sarcasm).

[RamboLiberal]

34. Imagine the howls from the RWPunditry if Gore or Kerry had

done this. They'd be all over the airways spewing about liberals going soft on terror and trying to be Politically Correct(PC) about terrorism!

[Az_lefty]

37. Are they printing up new T-Shirts???

as everyone knows, T-Shirts, bumper and magnetic stickers are the way to win wars.
:sarcasm: