Today two editorial boards from different ends of the state of Pennsylvania take aim at Rick Santorum for his recent comments accusing liberals and the media of undermining the war effort in Iraq.
The
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette believes that Rick is way out of line in calling upon the media to downplay American casualties in Iraq. Here's part of the
Post-Gazette editorial:
In a speech Thursday to students at Valley Forge Military Academy and College outside Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Republican really went off the deep end, attacking the media -- we assume modestly that he included us -- for drawing the public's attention to the deaths of American servicemen and -women in Iraq. To focus attention on the "tragic consequences" of the war, he said, was "helping Islamic fascism win the battle."
...
For Sen. Santorum to suggest that we and other American media should not report about the tragic loss of American lives -- a death toll that now stands above 2,200 -- is to sell our readers short and to suggest that they do not need to know, nor do they want to know, how many brave Americans are dying there.
It is to say that they are either immature -- fragile souls who need to be protected from such information -- or that they don't care, which everyone knows is not the case. For Sen. Santorum to cite national security and the claim that knowledge of U.S. losses might encourage America's enemies, as reasons for not telling the public the truth, is insulting to the American people.
The Chester County
Daily Local News wants to know why Rick seems to believe that his questions about Iraq are the only questions that are appropriate to ask. Here's some of that editorial:
We’re confused. On one hand, Santorum wants a panel to take a "fresh look" at Iraq, an acknowledgement that there are open questions about the war. On the other hand, he turns around and lambastes those who have questions of their own. That’s hypocritical.
...
Santorum wants all Americans to rally around the Bush administration and this war. That’s fine. But he also expects them to do so blindly at the same time he has questions of his own. That’s not fine.
Hey Rick, it looks like people might be paying a little more attention to your hypocrisy these days. You may want to consider speaking less, that way you won't provide them with as many examples to use.
