(Pentagon) Review says propaganda in Iraq was legal

[sabra]

http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/breaking_news/15798784.htm

Review says propaganda in Iraq was legal
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - A controversial U.S. military propaganda program used in the Iraq war was legal, a Pentagon investigation has found.

The Defense Department inspector general's report said laws on psychological operations were followed when the military planted and paid for favorable stories in Iraqi newspapers, defense officials said Thursday. The report has been completed, but not yet released.

"Based on the available information ... the report found that (commanders in Iraq) complied with applicable psychological operations laws and regulations in their use of a contractor to conduct psy-ops and their use of newspapers as a way to disseminate information," said Col. Gary L. Keck, a Pentagon spokesman.

The inspector general looked at three contracts awarded to the Washington-based Lincoln Group. The report was forwarded to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., who had asked for the review, another official said. Kennedy was not immediately available for comment.

The Lincoln Group was mired in controversy last year when it became known that it had been part of a U.S. military operation to run positive stories about U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq.

[Drum]

1. "Legal" doesn't mean shit these days.

x(

[ThomCat]

2. Of course they did.

They were assigned to FIND a way to justify it as legal. The pentagon is not going to declare themselves in violation of the law unless they can pin it entirely on a few low ranking scape-goats.
x(

[underpants]

18. We have conducted a thurough review of ourselves and we have found...

that we have done nothing wrong.

[Norquist Nemesis]

3. Frankly, I'm more concerned about the psy-ops on Americans. n/t

[Double T]

4. What about the propaganda program in the USA...........

is THAT legal TOO??? ......or will IT require a signing statement?????

[rodeodance]

5. so, it investigates itself and says OK>

[gratuitous]

9. Phew, that was close, wasn't it?

I mean, were you as worried as I was that the military would investigate itself and come up with all kinds of wrongdoing to punish itself about?

[goforit]

6. So is perveted torture to them.

[NOLADEM]

7. We have investigated ourselves and found nothing illegal

Move along...Move along

[Doctor_J]

8. Reminds me of "CIA Clears Self In Drug Trafficking Case",

the headline 2 months after Gary Webb's epose'

[Tempest]

10. The fox to the farmer...

"I investigated myself and the killing of your hens was legal."

[LynnTheDem]

11. Pentagon...investigating the military...

about legalities...

Ok.

:rofl:

[wellst0nev0ter]

12. Fox Finds Itself Qualified To Guard Henhouse

details at eleven :eyes:

[Up2Late]

13. "Psychological operations are a central part of information operations..."

"Psychological operations are a central part of information operations and contribute to achieving the ... commander's objectives,"

Oh, how lovely, I do hope "The Commander" is pleased.

Here's the Reuters version:

Iraq propaganda program legal: Pentagon report

Thu Oct 19, 2006 5:50pm ET148

By Kristin Roberts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military acted legally when it hired a contractor to pay Iraqi news organizations to run pro-American stories, the Pentagon's inspector general has found....

(clip)

...In one of those cases, it found that a military contracting office did not maintain enough documentation to verify expenditures under the program. Because of that, the inspector could not determine if the contract was awarded properly or if payments made were appropriate, the summary results stated.

"This Department of Defense report shows that the Pentagon cannot account for millions paid to the Lincoln Group for their propaganda program and that basic contracting rules were not followed," said U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who sought the inspector general's review.

"Broader policy questions remain about whether the administration's manipulation of the news in Iraq contradicts our goal of a free and independent press there," Kennedy said.

(more at link) <http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-10-19T220741Z_01_N19456425_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-USA-PROPAGANDA.xml>

[Doctor_J]

14. Fortunately they would never do such a thing here in the US

thus believeth the Limbeciles.

[fed-up]

15. WMD, "Mission Accomplished", fight terrorists there...-all propaganda-n/t

[indepat]

16. Right, legal just like everything this administration has done is legal

[Javaman]

17. propagandizing the propaganda...

We have always been at war with Eurasia. Now shut up and take your soma.