Yet another Bush nominee under attack

The NY Times reports that Senator Carl Levin, (D-Mi) "vowed Tuesday to defeat President Bush's choice for chief Pentagon spokesman", J. Dorrance Smith.

Here's what the Senator finds unacceptable:

Mr. Smith, a former ABC News producer who has worked as an adviser in both Bush administrations, said in an article in The Wall Street Journal on April 25 that the Arab satellite news channel Al Jazeera operated on behalf of terrorists and that American networks aided them by televising Al Jazeera's videotape.

"Osama bin Laden, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Al Qaeda have a partner in Al Jazeera and, by extension, most networks in the U.S.," Mr. Smith wrote. "This partnership is a powerful tool for the terrorists in the war in Iraq."

"Al Jazeera," he added, "has very strong partners in the U.S. - ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CNN and MSNBC. Video aired by Al Jazeera ends up on these networks, sometimes within minutes."

Right or wrong, it certainly won't endear you to the press. I confess that here at Mudville we had no idea that the Senate had advise and consent responsibilities in the selection process for DoD press handlers. But we certainly hope there's no truth to the rumor that the DoD may invoke something called "the nuclear option" to ensure Smith's approval.

As to qualifications, Mr. Smith spent nine months in Iraq as a media adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority. And you can read the full text of his WSJ article here, including the quotes above in their full context:

On April 11, Jeffrey Ake, an American, was taken hostage in Iraq. Video of him in captivity was shown on Al-Jazeera on April 13. A short time later six American networks -- ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CNN and MSNBC -- aired the same video, a vivid example of the ongoing relationship between terrorists, Al-Jazeera and the networks. Last week, Al-Jazeera showed video of a helicopter being shot, bursting into flames and trailing smoke as it fell to the ground. It also aired video of the lone survivor being forced to walk on a broken leg and then being shot by the terrorists, one of whom said, "We are applying God's law."

As the war continues, more hostages will be taken and acts of murderous violence committed -- leading to more videos for Al-Jazeera and the networks. Isn't it time to scrutinize the relationship among Al-Jazeera, American networks and the terrorists? What role should the U.S. government be playing?

Osama bin Laden, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and al Qaeda have a partner in Al- Jazeera and, by extension, most networks in the U.S. This partnership is a powerful tool for the terrorists in the war in Iraq. Figures show that 77% of Iraqis cite TV as their main source of information; 15% cite newspapers. Current estimates are that close to 100% of Iraqis have access to satellite TV, 18% to cell phones, and 8% to the Internet. The battle for Iraqi hearts and minds is being fought over satellite TV. It is a battle today that we are losing badly.
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In addition to being subsidized by Qatar, Al-Jazeera has very strong partners in the U.S. -- ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CNN and MSNBC. Video aired by Al-Jazeera ends up on these networks, sometimes within minutes. The terrorists are aware of this access and use it -- as in the Ake case -- to further their aims. They want to reach the American audience and influence public opinion.

The arrangement between the U.S. networks and Al-Jazeera raises questions of journalistic ethics. Do the U.S. networks know the terms of the relationship that Al-Jazeera has with the terrorists? Do they want to know?

Update: Chapomatic has more, including a link to an Army Times story that includes coverage of the hearing that the NY Times found unfit to print.

The Oct. 25 Senate confirmation hearing of the nominee to become the next senior Pentagon spokesman turned into a media brawl.

Dorrance Smith, an Emmy-award winning television news producer who worked in Baghdad as a media adviser to former Ambassador Paul Bremer, is nominated to become the new Pentagon spokesman.
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But if Smith is to become the new voice of the Pentagon, at least one senator doesn?t like his tone.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, took Smith to task for a piece he wrote recently in the Wall Street Journal in which he linked major U.S. television news networks with al-Jazeera, saying the U.S. networks occasionally shared video and other feeds initially aired by the Qatar-based network.
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?That?s a very serious allegation,? Levin said solemnly. ?Did you really mean that there is a relationship??

Smith responded that he had learned a great deal about the way television networks operate during his stint in Baghdad and how footage used by al-Jazeera often can be picked up by U.S. networks.

It is a ?collaborative? relationship, said Smith, who has worked at ABC?s ?Nightline? and ?This Week with David Brinkley? in his 30-year television career.

?I think that?s a serious mischaracterization,? Levin continued. ?It suggests what your approach will be to information if you are confirmed in this position.?

That was when Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., jumped in. Inhofe, who volunteered that he has probably spent more time in Iraq than anyone on the committee, said he was rankled by a discussion he had with a field-grade officer in Iraq during one trip who told him that the media is distorting the picture of what is actually going on in Iraq.

Inhofe suggested that the war in Iraq is being fought on television and in newspapers as much as on the battlefield.

?More than half this battle is in the media,? he said. ?They are winning that battle, and we have to do something about it.?