Inside the Spin

Continuing with my analysis of the Libby trial that I started in Scooting Scooter, the last document that interests me is Exhibit 451. It contains hand-written notes by Cathie Martin, Cheney's "press officer" (spin doctor?). The notes indicate that the administration is trying to answer to disputes relating to the 2003 State of the Union address, where Bush alleges the sale of "yellowcake" from Niger to Iraq, and uses the supposed sale as proof that Iraq is nuclear-capable. Martin lists 4 "options": 1. Put Cheney on Meet The Press (MTP) - Martin describes the pros and cons of this choice on the right hand side of the page, balancing control of the message with seeming "too defensive". 2. Leak to Sanger - Martin means David Sanger of the New York Times. Perhaps this is not the first time that leaking information to the media was used as a strategy? Scooter? 3. Rice/Rumsfeld Press Conference - Stand up and tell their side of the story. I wonder why this wasn't the choice? Perhaps because they would have to agree with the CIA that there never was credible evidence regarding the yellowcake? 4. Opinion/Editorial (Op-Ed) - Write a newspaper article. Yawn. The notes go on to talk about "mood words"... Make sure that we set the right "mood", instead of standing up and saying that the yellowcake information was completely wrong - as is just about all of the rest of the reasoning for going to war in Iraq. The administration employs people like Cathie Martin to help them manipulate the thoughts of the American public, instead of coming clean and admitting their mistakes. If this is so blatant and pervasive in the case that we know about, how much if it is going on in cases we have yet to see? Unfortunately, I think I know the answer; too often, the media is complicit in this type of spin. If you are interested, read Chomsky's book Manufacturing Consent - It's all there in black and white... and yellow.