Average Americans Frustrated With Washington Press

NUTLEY, N.J. — Every day, they gather at the Pentagon and clamor to ask questions about the war on terror.

They demand details about military strategy, civilian casualties and locations of troops and targets. Their inquiries are laced with skepticism over how the government is handling the war.

"I guess they've forgotten the events of Sept. 11, when thousands of civilians here died for no apparent reason," Sam Marino, 25, a bartender at the Franklin Steak House and Tavern in Nutley, N.J., says of the Pentagon press corps.

With America's war on terror approaching its third month, the tone in media reports is increasingly bleak. Why haven't we won the war already, they ask. Why are civilians dying, they want to know. Where is Usama Bin Laden, they demand to know.

The questions aren't going over well with out-of-the-beltway Americans, nearly 80 percent of whom tell pollsters they approve of the war's progress.

"The pundits sitting on their fat backsides in Washington — I really have a problem with them," fumed World War II Navy veteran Jim Goran of Bloomfield, N.J. "I would jail them, that's how angry I am."

Goran takes issue with most of the questions posed by the press corps, calling them "insensitive, unpatriotic and devoid of any intelligence."

At Wednesday's Pentagon briefing, reporters asked Defense Department spokesman Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem to provide more details about the recent, heavier bombing in Afghanistan and targets that were struck a day earlier.

"Admiral, what's the rationale for not saying where the B-52s hit Tuesday?" one journalist asked. "We're getting reports from eyewitnesses they hit; the bad guys know where you hit. What's the big secret?"

Stufflebeem responded — as he did several times during the news conference — that he wouldn't go into specifics.

"It's one thing to have seen one fly overhead if you're on the ground," he said. "It's another thing to broadcast an intention of a type of target or tactic and a specific weapons system that is optimized against that."

Many Franklin Steak House patrons said the press and the public don't need the scoop on each move the military makes in the war.

"We don't need to know everything. They can't tell us everything," said Jamie Deberto, 34, a Web designer from Bloomfield. "It's frustrating — they know they shouldn't be asking some of these questions."

She and others think revealing all troop strategies and movements spells defeat.

"That reporting is doing the intelligence gathering for our enemy," said communications systems engineer John Gadoury, 54, of Bradford, N.H. "Our news system shouldn't be in that business."

The Washington press corps has pummeled Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other Bush administration officials with questions about Afghan civilian casualty numbers — and mused at the ethics of bombing during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

"The press has been almost obsessed with whether the campaign is going to end before Ramadan and how many civilian casualties the Taliban are suffering," said lawyer and state legislator Kevin O'Toole, 37, of Cedar Grove, N.J. "But the people of the United States believe those things are not relevant during times of war. Is bin Laden going to take a break on Christmas?"

He expressed frustration at the media's apparent impatience with how long the war is taking, and said that's not in line with what the average American feels.

"They're doing a disservice to the American people, the presidency and national security by trying to make this a 24-hour war," O'Toole said. "The American people are very patient with this military action."

"We should definitely know all the moves," said Greg Lampariello, 31, head chef at Terrazza, another steak house in Nutley. "They should keep pressuring [the government] to tell us what's going on. They're our lifeline to the other side."

But that opinion wasn't shared by the majority of patrons. Most said they wished the D.C. press corps would report the news without cynicism and join with other Americans in rallying around the cause.

"I think they've lost the morale," said Jennifer Hartos, 23, a medical assistant from Bloomfield. "They've lost a sense of American pride."

If the press wants to know more, let them go to Afghanistan. They want to be spoon-fed and want to dictate the menu.

Let 'em starve!

"I think they've lost the morale," said Jennifer Hartos, 23, a medical assistant from Bloomfield. "They've lost a sense of American pride."

Nah, they never had any sense of American pride. I hope their behavior eventually gets them thrown out on their butts. By the newly awake American people.

Most so called, self-described "jounalists" are haters of America, and of Americans, most notably all of us right of center. They are brainwashed by their commie professors and their elitist callings. Take one look at the current crop of anti-war protestors.... amongst that crowd are "journalists" of the all too near future!.

They're angry that they can't be dropped in with the troops. I remember one reporter asked how are the American people supposed to know that the government is handling the war right. STUPID, huh? I knew right then that the media was going to start running negative reports because they can't control the news. They're like coons.....what they can't use, they sh!t on.

Have watched an awful lot of news conferences lately, as well as broadcast interviews, and I have never in my life heard so many stupid, inane, or irritating questions.

My personal choice for Number One Press Pinhead:

Helen Thomas

Of course, she has plenty of competition.

You are absolutely right. The press, and most people on the Beltway have NO concept of the real America.

Have watched an awful lot of news conferences lately, as well as broadcast interviews, and I have never in my life heard so many stupid, inane, or irritating questions.

Same here. I think they call it filler.

Glad somebody's finally shedding some light on these pinheads. They're having a hard time with their own polls showing Bush's positive ratings both "personally" and "job approval". The personal part probably hurts the most.

"insensitive, unpatriotic and devoid of any intelligence."

That about sums it up.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.