CT-04: Shays Blames Abu Ghraib, Iraq Violence on the Media

In case you doubted that New England’s sole remaining Republican in the House, Chris Shays of Connecticut, was not a moderate, his recent assault against the 1st Amendment during a speech on the Iraq War to a college audience should erase any of those doubts:

“Abu Ghraib was about a military unit run amuck. With proper oversight the abuses would have been easy to correct, and been corrected, without a lot of fanfare or publicity,” Shays said.

“The press would not have had a story. Our nation’s reputation wouldn’t have been in question, and a primary recruitment cry of Al Qaeda would never have existed.

“As it was, Abu Ghraib happened. The press ran the story with little obligation or inclination to contain it. Al Jazeera and Al Qaeda used it to inflame the Muslim world and hundreds of American soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen and women died as a result,” he said.

So for Chris Shays, because the media shed light on the abuses at Abu Ghraib, they have been complicit in the deaths of hundreds of American servicemen and women.  It’s as blunt as that.  Shays had a few more unkind words for the media:

“When it comes to Iraq, the former Republican Congress was blatantly partisan. The new Democratic Congress has returned the favor. And the press, rather than encouraging Republicans and Democrats, the White House and Congress to come together, has picked sides and marshaled the facts to fit their arguments,” Shays said. “It is hard, I might add, to know with a press that is accountable to no one, where you can go to get the unadulterated facts.” […]

“In our Constitution there are checks and balances between the executive and legislative branches but the so-called Fourth Estate, the press, is on its own,” Shays said.

Perhaps Shays would feel more comfortable if we removed the media “filter” and got all our breaking news from White House Press Secretary Dana Perino directly.

(Hat-tip: My Left Nutmeg)

Race Tracker: CT-04