You where aware of this congressional testimony years before it was made?
No, I was aware of the information it was revealing. It's not surprise to me that Jessica Lynch was captured without resistance, that she was treated appropriately, that her rescue was instigated by Iraqis (who were initially turned away by Americans) and so forth. It's no surprise to me that Tillman was killed by friendly fire, not by enemy action, and that the soldiers involved were told not to talk about it.
If you never heard the versions on the stories referred to in this testimony you obviously avoid the populist press- most people don’t.
And yet somehow I managed to learn this suddenly-revealed shock-horror truth? From CNN and Time Magazine no less. Make sense? Not to me, it doesn't.
How about a new theory - the sensationalist American press made these figures into super heroes with a bit of fantasy writing, and when the real press revealed their fantasies for what they are, they pointed the finger at the military...
Foreign press like the BBC, ever eager to illuminate the less admirable elements of the US, leaped on these clearly sensationalist reportings and portrayed them to their public as if this was the US media's standard presentation of the event.
(And yes, during the invasion of Iraq, when I was keeping track on about 6 different networks, I saw EXACTLY this happen any number of times)
Although the less dramatic/ heroic sides of these stories were out and about long ago, it is still the military spin versions which people seem to remember, and if you only had a casual interest in both wars, it is likely that it would only be the military spin versions which would stick in your mind.
And yet I remember the military talking about these events, and I don't remember them using these "military spin versions". I was vaguely aware of places like ABC and Fox creating sensationalist versions of events, but I never recall seeing a uniformed person do anything of the sort.
For what it's worth, this isn't the first time I've heard claims that the military presented an event a certain way when they didn't - the media did.
An example is all that talk of a "quick easy win". From day one, I've only ever heard military staff say the job in Iraq would take a very long time, would be very hard, and would cost lives.
Certain elements of the MEDIA and certain POLITICIANS proposed otherwise. Never the military.
-Gumboot
You're right though. It's always best to leave the headline as-is to avoid "OMFG QUOTE MINING!" from the conspiracy theorists who attempt to gain any minor victory they can around here.
Trash journalism at it's lowest.