Firstly, I find it quite extraordinary that the Guardian would have the sheer front to accuse anyone of spin given it is the official mouthpiece of the loony-left that couldn't give a balanced viewpoint if the instruction book leapt up and tw@tted the editor in the knackers.
That being said, it does raise some interesting points, and confirms what I always believed, which is that the "rescue" of Jessica Lynch was little more than a stunt to bolster support back home.
A lot of debate has gone on on this site about the merits and pitfalls of "embedded media", but this is cynicism gone mad. It has been fairly obvious that the SPAMS have gone overboard on the whole patriotic dig ("Some brave souls put their lives on the line to make this happen, loyal to a creed that they know that they'll never leave a fallen comrade." Brig Brooks - if this is true then I wonder what happened to all of those soldiers that were left behind in Vietnam? Does this give the lie to the claim? what creed?) skirting over detail for images that will fit into neat little 2 min segments for news broadcast (and if anyone has seen the abysmal quality of syndicated US News on the likes of ABC, NBC, Fox et al you will understand what I mean). Interestingly, the US are dodging any questions relating to this rescue, probably because they have something to hide about the circumstances.
In fairness, the MoD has tried it on with Hoon stood in front of the cameras decrying the "execution" of British soldiers, while the families were being told that their NOK had died in entirely different circumstances. If we think back, the US fixation with spin really infected British politics with the arrival of Blair in 94.
I have asked the question before, and I ask it again, how long before the movie deal arrives? No wonder Bush was keen to talk to Bruckheimer, what better to have going into an election where the President patriotically "kicks the ass" of evil after 9/11 than a film depicting the "brave souls" risking their lives in a daredevil rescue of the poor, innocent, tortured American pte in the name of their moral "creed". If the SPAMS aren't careful, that creed could turn into the one of Mephistopheles!
