Rumsfeld: We Need A Propaganda Agency
Pat & Rummy
This here is a thinking man…
From an article by Sharon Weinberger in today’s Wired:
Back in 2001, the Pentagon under his leadership created the controversial Office of Strategic Influence, which was closed down just a few months later after its existence became public. Rightly or wrongly, the Pentagon was accused of creating a propaganda office. Now, the former defense secretary has a bigger vision: he is advocating a “21st century agency for global communications.”
This was one of the major themes in one of Rumsfeld’s first post-Pentagon public comments at a conference today on network centric warfare sponsored by the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement. According to Rumsfeld, the United States is losing the war of ideas in the Muslim world, and the answer to that, in part, is through the creation of this new government agency.
Rumsfeld had this to say:
Private media does not get up in the morning and say what can we do to promote the values and ideas that the free Western nations believe in? It gets up in the morning and says they’re going to try to make money by selling whatever they sell… The way they decided to do that is to be dramatic and if it bleeds it leads is the common statement in the media today. They’ve got their job, and they have to do that, and that’s what they do.
We need someone in the United States government, some entity, not like the old USIA . . . I think this agency, a new agency has to be something that would take advantage of the wonderful opportunities that exist today. There are multiple channels for information . . . The Internet is there, pods are there, talk radio is there, e-mails are there. There are all kinds of opportunities. We do not with any systematic organized way attempt to engage the battle of ideas and talk about the idea of beheading, and what’s it’s about and what it means. And talk about the fact that people are killing more Muslims than they are non-Muslims, these extremists. They’re doing it with suicide bombs and the like. We need to engage and not simply be passive and allow that battle of competition of ideas.
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Exactly right. We must engage both the near enemy at home)libistan and their Leftist propaganda machine) and the far enemy (Jihadistan). Western values and traditions are being usurped by both of our enemies. Staying silent about this usurpation is inviting disaster.
I’m not interested in adopting a Dark Ages lifestyle (Islam) or a socialist progressive lifestyle (freedom w/o accountability). I’m not interested in casting aside all the great contributions made by Judaeo-Christian society in favor of one ruled by the freakazoids from the Pepsi Generation either.
Countering the propaganda purloined on the west by these two enemies of Western civilization is an astute idea.
Readers Note: I read what he said…I just built on his idea.
January 23rd, 2008 at 4:36 pmrummy for prez… he has always had the best interest of our country and military in mind,, does anyone realize what bad shape our military was in when he took over and FIXED it..but no one is listening… we didn’t have enuff troops to begin with..and now we do… thanx to him…better equiped,better trained,better paid,better housed, better readiness, and better fed,,
January 23rd, 2008 at 4:37 pm‘Bout damn time—If every tinpot group in the Middle East uses its contacts within the Western news world to shape how events are portrayed, why in the heck can’t we do the same to get our point of view out in the world?
I wish Rummy plenty of success in getting this off the ground… We need it like there’s no tomorrow!
January 23rd, 2008 at 4:38 pmI love this site, you guys are great!
Keep up the good work!
No inane leftist drivel, just the way it should be.
January 23rd, 2008 at 4:58 pmOK, doesn’t the USIA exist anymore? They housed “Radio Free Europe” and “Radio Marti.” What bonehead got rid of them? This isn’t an original idea. We DO have a PRIVATE propaganda machine–the MSM, which disseminates lies and covers up the truth if it doesn’t serve their leftist agenda.
January 23rd, 2008 at 5:10 pmDamn I love the way this guy thinks.
Something I’ve been wondering about since Rummy “resigned.”
Does anyone know (A) if Rummy actively supported Patraeus taking command and (B) did Rummy actively pursuit/support the troop surge strategy?
I would like to think he supported both — Rummy caught so much flak when Iraq was floundering, I would like to think he deserves some of the credit for the improvements that occured after his watch but I’m not sure if he played any role in the latter.
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:19 pmCool, more spending and propaganda. I like how he thinks.
You know, he really did a great job with Iraq too.
January 23rd, 2008 at 7:24 pmPsst Rumsfeld, we have one. Its called the MSM.
January 23rd, 2008 at 8:27 pmRumsfeld wouldn’t be the first to call for this, but certainly the most prominent. I totally agree, we need to demonize the enemy, and solidify the bulk of the West against it. Also wouldn’t hurt to start exposing the enemy’s fellow travelers as well.
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:23 pmi envy don for being with pat..
January 24th, 2008 at 6:26 am