Washington Post Slams War Propaganda Qatar Office

The war in Iraq is a grim reality, but it is more than 350 miles north of Doha. Most of the uniforms in this corner of the U.S. Central Command belong to public affairs officers, and their mission is image.

Inside, at daily news conferences and private briefings, senior Centcom officials have been more determined to paint Iraqi forces in the darkest possible hues than to shed light on the difficult progress of the military campaign that began nine days ago.

The army's senior ground commander in Iraq, Lt. General William W. Wallace, on Thursday added his voice to those officers saying that the war could last longer than strategists anticipated because of over-extended supply lines and unexpectedly stiff opposition from Iraqis using unconventional tactics.

So today, it fell to Brig. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, with one star on his shoulders, to go before the cameras and effectively dismiss the statements of an officer with three stars on his-and one who had the advantage of being on the battlefield in Iraq.

Another senior Centcom official was less diplomatic in speaking with reporters. He cast those reports as the ill-informed musing of former officers. In a background briefing, the senior Centcom official said, "Retired military officials, the day they retire become out of date." When it was pointed out that the concerns had been raised by active military officers, this Centcom official said, "If ever I meet a senior military official, I'm going to kick their butt. They talk a lot."

Centcom officials are far more enthusiastic about using the podium day after day to spotlight reported abuses by President Saddam Hussein's government, a public relations strategy that officials said was worked out with the White House Office of Global Communications.

The Washington Post has been pro-war on their editorial page and at least half of their stories. At a "so-called briefing" yesterday the reporters cheered when one asked Why the Army had spend a million dollars on a information complex that gave no new information as all the news was released at the Pentagon or from local cammanders.