In our “Leaning Left” issue (March/April), we identified the New York Times as a left-leaning paper that most other media outlets look to for guidance. Yet another example of its liberal influence on mainstream media can be seen in this June 17 headline: “Panel Finds No Qaeda-Iraq Tie.”
Much news coverage blared that there was no link between Iraq and al Qaeda. In actuality, the 9/11 commission found no link between Iraq, al Qaeda and the September 11 attack. But rather than highlight Iraq’s non-involvement in the 9/11 tragedy, the Times attempted to dismiss any connection whatsoever between Iraq and al Qaeda.
In an editorial ironically titled “The Plain Truth,” the Times wrote, “Of all the ways Mr. Bush persuaded Americans to back the invasion of Iraq last year, the most plainly dishonest was his effort to link his war of choice with the battle against terrorists worldwide.”
Trouble is, numerous connections have been established been Iraq and al Qaeda. And the Bush administration never claimed that Iraq had ties to the 9/11 disaster. On June 21, Fox News quoted Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton as saying the “sharp differences the media has drawn” between the 9/11 commission and the Bush administration “are not that apparent” to him.