] It is funny how the mission has ever so subtly shifted.
] No longer is this war pitched primarily as a campaign to
] rid Saddam Hussein of his weapons of mass destruction.
] Now, quite clearly it is a humanitarian war to save the
] wretched citizens of Iraq.
]
] Numbers of well-scrubbed and articulate Iraqis opposed to
] Saddam have been appearing in the media giving credence
] to the humanitarian necessity to bomb the place to
] smithereens for the good of its people.
]
] Of course, it is perfectly understandable to refocus the
] message when it is obvious the goodies' display of
] weapons of mass destruction is infinitely superior to
] those of the baddies. This is just one "slice" of
] shifting sand, as Donald Rumsfeld would say. There are
] other slices as the war unfolds and the forecast
] certainties go wobbly. One such is the strategy of
] "embedding" Western journalists with the American forces
] so that the imagery that goes back home can be better
] managed.
]
] The basic principle is that if reporters don't stay in
] line they can be tossed from the sergeant-major's bed.
] The media have become an important component of the
] psychological battle against Iraq.