What a Difference 10 Days Makes!

MassNews Staff
April 11, 2003

On March 31, 2003, the Times/Globe again reported that things were not going well with our troops. It attacked them, and encouraged the enemy. In a front-page headline, it said that the Pentagon was having to defend its strategy because our troops were not doing well. The subhead trumpeted, "US troops inch toward capital."

The lead paragraph in the story was, "Facing mounting skepticism about their strategy in Iraq, senior Pentagon officials launched the fiercest defense yet of their decision to send in limited ground forces, dismissing reports yesterday of discord between US political and military officials over how to prosecute the war."

The story continued with everything they could possibly find about any negative aspect. But even it had to report that American support for the war is "holding firm." And, without quoting any sources for this statement, it wrote, "The perception that the strategy is veering off course persisted."

Now, only ten days later, even the Times/Globe complex had to admit that Saddam Hussein's regime has been toppled. Now they are free to focus on the power vacuum, the looting, the restoration of utility services, and the prospects for an interim government. All of these things are fraught with dangers and will give the Globe's editors plenty to criticize in the weeks and months ahead.