A front-page story in The New York Times Monday examines the alleged murders of two American Army officers by another U.S. soldier. This is only the second time a brutal incident like this has happened in the Iraq war, but it's obviously disturbing.
The story is legitimate, of course. Not page-one legitimate, but Americans should know about it.
However, the far more important military story — one that is being largely ignored by the American media — is the stunning performance by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Iraq is now largely stabilized because of the surge where American troops flooded dangerous zones and flushed out the bad guys. Last month 19 Americans were killed in Iraq, as opposed to 126 in May 2007. The Iraqi people are now living much better lives in most of the country, oil production is up big so money is coming into the new Iraqi government, and most vital signs are positive.
So why isn't this a big story? Is a stable Iraq a bad thing? Why is there so much negative reporting about a situation that has dramatically improved?
The answer is politics and ego. The anti-Iraq war media has much invested in an American defeat there. If victory is achieved — and that means a stable Iraq friendly to the USA and the West — then the Iraq naysayers lose the issue.
Also, Barack Obama and the Democratic Party want out of Iraq. An improving Iraq somewhat diminishes that issue.
You may remember about a year ago I castigated network TV news for emphasizing random terrorist bombings in Iraq. Carnage without context I called it.
Well the usual suspects at NBC News and CNN hammered me for telling the truth, but reportage of the explosion du jour has largely stopped.
Now, Americans who believe that the Iraq war has been a fiasco are not wrong. It has been a troubling and painful experience. But the bravery and efficiency of our military has turned chaos into a possible positive for the world, and that is a huge story.
"Talking Points" is tired of dishonest, partisan reporting about Iraq and Afghanistan. Our military has performed heroically with a skill seldom seen in modern warfare. The corrupt U.S. media hops on every mistake and miscalculation, pumping those things up.
Meantime, the heroism and sacrifice of our military is barely noticed.
So I am on record as saying that it is noble to give 28 million Iraqis a chance at freedom, that the world is a better place because the killer Saddam Hussein was held accountable for his atrocities, and that the American military has kicked Al Qaeda's butt all over the desert sands.
Do you have a problem with that?
And that's "The Memo."
Pinheads & Patriots
Remember nutty Leona Helmsley leaving $12 million to her dog after she died?
Well now trustees of the dog named Trouble say the pooch doesn't need all that cash, and a Manhattan judge has ruled $10 million of it will be divided between some disinherited grandchildren and charity.
So somebody in this case is a patriot. I'm just not sure who. I know the late Ms. Helmsley was a pinhead, and Trouble may be as well.
Also on the pinhead front: Princess Eugenie.
She's the 18-year-old daughter of Andrew and Fergie, and apparently was found naked on the grounds of Marlborough College after a night of drinking.
This is not good, especially for a member of the British royal family. So, and I hate to say it, the princess may be a pinhead.
— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com
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