Do Changes in Iraq Mean Changes of Opinion in Washington?

Certainly one of the most powerful issues regarding public opinion to date has been the conflict in Iraq. However, in recent months, the overall state of the conflict seems to be improving. Of course, this means that Democrats who have been on the attack regarding President George W. Bush and his policies have had to take a step back. Indeed, the recent security increases in Iraq have prompted an entirely different way of looking at this for the Democratic Party. Whereas once the liberal offensive could rely on the strategic failures of the Bush Administration in Iraq, the Democrats now must find a new plan of attack, and must also defend themselves against several key policies that were created with the failures of the administration in mind. Of course, there is no concrete evidence that the improved situation in Iraq is anything more than a coincidence, but many are hopeful that this decrease could perhaps signal the end of the dramatic and horrific violence that has gripped the nation since the time of the United State invasion.

While this article definitely does not point out the liberal bias that many associate to the New York Times, it does serve as an interesting connection to many of the concepts that were covered in class. Throughout class, we have repeatedly referred to the tendency of the media, as well as political parties to change their opinions and approaches depending on what the popular consensus is. As the feeling of the major news organizations begin to change, so too does press coverage relating to those incidents. This is also a key factor when we talk about the dependence of the press on sources of power. One of the key elements that Edelman points out in his book is how closely the press reflects official changes. For that reason, we can assume it to be only natural that change in the way the government is looking at the events of Iraq would be similarly covered in mainstream news articles.

Also, remember that news events are likely to represent a shift around the time of elections. Consider this quote taken from the news article: "This is a delicate matter. By saying the effects of the troop escalation have not led to a healthier political environment, the candidates are tacitly acknowledging that the additional troops have, in fact, made a difference on the ground - a viewpoint many Democratic voters might not embrace". Once again, we see political tensions taking route when we come to talk about elections. Note also that much of the material covered in class deals with the fact that most political change can be seen around election times, especially change that deals with critical issues. This article is a perfect example of the apparent change that takes place when an election comes close.

We can also tie the subject and ideas that exist in the New York Times Article to the thought often raised in class that minority opinions are rarely represented. Even though the overall level of violence in Iraq may have gone down, we still do not see the issue from anything outside of it's political significance to the elites. However, we also see the common characteristic of leaders refusing to make concrete or viable statements on the issues present in the article. Simply look at this quote from the article: "'Our troops are the best in the world; if you increase their numbers they are going to make a difference,' Mrs. Clinton said in a statement after her aides were asked about her views on the ebbing violence in Baghdad."

Although we may not always think of the articles of major newspapers as representing conclusive proof regarding social events and stigmas, perhaps we should begin to look at the news forming around us much more carefully. As evidenced by this article in the New York Times, sometimes even ordinary political news can come to represent many important changes and concepts that are covered in a variety of novels and in class assignments. All in all, the article, "As Democrats See Security Gains in Iraq, Tone Shifts", represents a perfect symbolism of the information covered in class and a great view of what is going on the mainstream media with regards to news, information and propaganda.