Stuff about Patriotism

This article (by David Barstow) is another example of how much America has lost its way.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/washington/20generals.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

It's really long (3 1/2 full pages in the Sunday NY TImes), so I'll summarize:
Since before the Iraq war, the Pentagon (and later Attorney General Gonzales) has used retired military "experts" to "amplify" the White House's messages on the major news networks' coverage of the war. They pumped out talking points on weapons of mass destruction, that things were going well, that we didn't need more troops, etc. etc.

The rub is that almost all of these retired military men are still connected to the military industrial complex. They are either CEOs, Board members, consultants or lobbyists for defense companies and clients. In return for being talking heads for the administration, these patriots got inside access to the Pentagon's leaders which they could use to grow their businesses. And if they criticized the administration on air, there was the potential that they would lose their inside access and even their companies' contracts.

I don't know who is most at fault in this, the Pentagon, the retired "military analysts", or the networks for being complicit, but basically all three were getting what they want. For the analysts and networks it was money (for their businesses and through ratings for the networks). For the Pentagon it was a "credible" voice to dispel their BS.

This is capitalism at it's worst. None of these people were being moral, ethical or patriotic. They were all angling for their individual benefit to the detriment of the US and its citizens.

Is there anyone left who actually cares about doing the right thing for America or has everyone turned to just chasing money and power regardless of the consequences?

There are way too many amazing things in this story to cover all here, but some of the most distressing passages include:

"Some analysts said that even before the war started they privately had questions about the justification for the invasion, but were careful not to express them on air."

"Some email messages between the Pentagon and the analysts reveal an implicit trade of privileged access for favorable coverage."