Presidential candidates who once demanded immediate withdrawal of US troops from the Middle East, have barely mentioned it in recent weeks. Is war now second to money?
Does it appear to you that the problems in the Middle East are being overshadowed by money problems in America? Recent events in the US economic situation have created considerable turmoil, not only in the USA but also in the world’s economies. Yet, I find it unique and disturbing that these events also remove the mayhem from the front pages.
Not to minimize the problems of millions of citizens but less than a year ago, when the USA presidential primary campaigning began, the war in Iraq was the central theme presented by most candidates. Today, events have caused “change” to revert to the themes of the 1990s – “It’s the economy stupid!”
Mega economic news like the recent Microsoft and Yahoo proposed merger have been over shadowed by dismal USA jobs reports, continued housing foreclosures, consumer and business credit problems and seemingly ineffective Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. But disheartening even more has been the minimal coverage of the war by the Western media.
62 American, 2 coalition forces and 554 Iraqis have been killed since December. 13 American and 10 coalition forces have been killed in Afghanistan in that same time. Yet joblessness and economic woes of all sorts has become the mainstay for the media. Unprecedented interest rate cuts and positive merger news has received subordinating bylines in the nightly news but the various wars obtain little national coverage.
As former Presidential Candidate Bill Clinton’s 1992 advisor, Jim Carvell, stated during that campaign – the economy is now paramount. To reverse E. Ralph Hostette’s question from the Conservative Voice; “When Is Bad News Good News?”
Take part in our news and war poll and add your voice to that question.
