I don't think it was dissention, I think it was an attempt to frame this historical moment in the terms and mentality of today's press. Would Howard Dean have come out and said that victory over the Japanese is "just plain wrong" and unachievable? I don't see it as steering, just adding another dimension to the discussion and serving as another reminder of what they were fighting and dying for then, as well as today. Hopefully we can rediscover that 'can-do' attitude that made the Greatest Generation so great. God Bless those who died 64yrs ago, as well as those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the WOT. May they never be forgotten.
