No more than 24 hours after my article "Numbers Racket," showing how troop levels were gutted during the Clinton Administration, was posted on The American Thinker, The Ministry of Truth (The Washington Post) published one of the most blatant pieces of Orwellian disinformation ever seen.  Disguised as an editorial entitled 'Troop Strength , the hit piece had this to say about the current troop levels deployed in fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan:

The indictment reads something like this: President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld were determined to prove that wars could be fought differently —— with fewer troops —— than in the past.

The WaPo obviously pins their hopes on everyone ignoring the facts (while providing none of their own) concerning the troop reductions of the 90s, just as they hope that everyone will forget what happened to our intelligence services during the 90s.

Of course, there is the obligatory reference to now—retired Gen. Shinseki, and how perfect his crystal ball was in forecasting this problem. But there is no mention of his tenure as Army Chief of Staff, where, presumably he fought valiantly but unsuccessfully for increased troop levels.

Next time The Ministry of Truth should do us all a favor and just go ahead and print a campaign ad for the presumptive Junior Senator (D) from Hawaii.  By being open about it, they would at least be approaching a modicum of integrity.

Posted by Doug Hanson   4—17—04