The anniversary of the Iraq invasion should be an occasion for news organizations to reflect on what they've gotten wrong.
Cross posted from Pruning Shears.
UPDATE: See also Vast Left.
Eleven years ago today the United States used false pretenses to launch its war against Iraq. Happily, it has not yet become controversial to write those two things: That it was the US, and not some ridiculous coalition of the willing, that launched the war; and that the architects themselves were (at best) dubious about the given reasons for the invasion. Considering our ability to let the losing side end up with control of our war narratives, that's no small achievement.
It would be nice if those architects had been summarily drummed out of public life and shunned by decent people. Demonstrating grotesque immorality ought ideally to have consequences, but unfortunately we live in an age of impunity for the powerful. If you are a member of that happy class and are willing to brazen it out, you will remain in good standing.
This explains how Douglas Feith, aka the fucking stupidest guy on the face of the earth, gets to weigh in on current events in Russia. It also explains how Bill Kristol, to Charles Pierce's ongoing amazement, remains in good standing among the DC media. (Pierce is one of the few higher profile writers who has arrived at the proper estimation of Kristol. He's also christened him with the title that ought to follow him to the end of his days: "Butcher's Bill Kristol, the world's dumbest political sociopath.")
When it comes to Iraq there is a willful amnesia in Washington DC. No one in the elite media or political establishment wishes to think about it because it reflects so poorly on them. This explains how Dick Cheney could be invited on a Sunday show recently and not have the word "Iraq" appear once, not once. Months later, this continues to astonish me. It's like interviewing Orville Redenbacher and not asking about popcorn.
Anniversaries are good occasions to revisit topics. The New York Times understands that, since it marked the third anniversary of the Syrian uprising earlier this week. The Washington Post has done even better, not just marking the occasion but looking at the human cost and taking every opportunity to embed its video of the situation as well.
The US did not engage its armed forces in any substantial way in Syria, though. Therefore there are no real stakes for the foreign policy establishment. Newspapers here are free to lavish attention on it without having to worry about damaging their access to Pentagon sources. On the other hand, Libya is in the process of turning into a basket case, and the US position has gone from "drop bombs to prevent genocide" to "sort it out amongst yourselves." Don't look for much coverage on that topic.
Clearly, though, the Times and the Post know how to mark an anniversary. If they did not have so much professional pride on the line with Iraq they could ask about the promises of a flowering democracy there, check that against the overall chaos as well as specific recent developments, and maybe inquire as to what exactly the fuck we are doing still sending arms there. Doing any of that would invite pointed questions about their role though, so better to just let the anniversary pass quietly.
If they really were the steely eyed truth tellers they seem to like fancying themselves as, the magnitude of their failure in Iraq would be a good occasion for some soul searching. Rather than leaving that kind of accounting to outsiders, they could turn that scrutiny on themselves and use it to an even larger purpose: An honest and unflinching examination of their systemic failures. Not just the technical glitches, but the really big picture stuff. A journalistic equivalent of Yom Kippur.
Some mistakes are easily addressed by the typical correction process. ("Ms Smith received a BS degree and not a BA degree as reported. We regret the error.") Some are not. ("We credulously laundered Bush administration propaganda above the fold of our front page for months before the war, and were instrumental in legitimizing the fraudulent case for it. We regret the error.")
Journalists have plenty of occasions to pat themselves on the back and give each other awards, but nothing (that I know of) that attempts to prick their collective conscience or remind them of just how wrong they can get it. Perhaps the anniversary of the largest such failure in the last generation would be good for that purpose. Not for self-flagellation or some other indulgence, but to confront uncomfortable truths that are otherwise too tempting to ignore.
Because ignoring those truths can prompt a newspaper to do ridiculous things. Like, for instance, marking the anniversary of protests against a conflict but not the start of the conflict itself.