Brian Williams (NBC, 3/28/14): On the brink…or over the edge?
As Peter Hart (FAIR Blog, 3/31/14) writes, US intelligence claims about a Russian troop buildup on the Ukrainian border are just that—claims—and should be treated as such until they can be independently verified. On NBC Nightly News (3/28/14), however, anchor Brian Williams and Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski not only took these claims as gospel, they used them as the jumping off point for alarmist speculation.
Williams, reporting on a call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama, told viewers that the Pentagon is “worried that Putin is about to move on the rest of Ukraine.” And, with that, he turned things over to Miklasziewski:
Brian, that phone call tonight between the two presidents may have at least won Ukraine a short reprieve from a Russian invasion. Defense officials here tell us that as of tonight, the Russians have enough military firepower in place to invade Ukraine. There is an estimated 40,000 heavily armed Russian troops positioned near the Ukraine border. They are armed with tanks, attack helicopters, even field hospitals, to treat any wounded. Now, according to US intelligence officials, those troops are now positioned in—and locked down in three Russian military bases, about 40 to 60 miles from the Russian border. Intelligence officials say that it appears Russia wants to seize a large part of southeastern Ukraine. That would give its military a direct and open land route from Russia to Crimea. Now, if those upcoming US/Russian talks should break down for any reason, officials here warn that Russia could still launch an invasion without warning and admit that the US and Ukraine would be powerless to stop it.
Reality check: In 2003, the United States, with the most technologically advanced military on Earth, sent 150,000 troops to invade Iraq, a militarily crippled state—and this is now widely recognized as a vastly inadequate number, even with the assistance of 23,000 British and other troops. But 40,000 Russian troops are “enough military firepower in place to invade Ukraine,” a country half again as large as Iraq in 2003 and a much more even technological match for Russia? I get the feeling that Miklaszewski doesn’t know when his intelligence sources are pulling his leg.
“” I get the feeling that Miklaszewski doesn’t know when his intelligence sources are pulling his leg.”” the article.
This is what happens when you make your living as a Mono-winged parrot, instead of a news reporter. They have blurred the lines between ads and news to the point they no longer know what they know.
I think the goal of putting the Russian trooops there is not to stage an actual invasion but to destabilize East Ukraine by their presence. Also, 40,000 troops would probably be enough to support an incursion into a single city or region on the border (like Kharkiv).
Hitler had no choice but to invade Poland after Poland threatened the invasion of Germany. That’s how propaganda works.
The Kiev Nazis will be forced to invade Russia unless the massing at the border ends.
Also, Nato ends cooperation with Russia in removing poison gas from Syria. Looks like the US again has the excuse it needs to start blasting Syrian people to hell.
I would suggest the Russians ask for monitors to verity the fact there are no “invasion forces” on the border of Ukraine – but the EU/NATO/US axis – owned and operated vetting rackets would refuse to go, and western media wouldn’t print it if they did…I hope Russia has a better plan for not blowing us all up than our own crooked/incompetent leadership and their publicists in the media
Well I don’t know if that is a military assessment.Ukrainians may not even fight back against their Russian cousins.They have not so far.First of all it would be a hopeless slaughter.If Russia moves it will be the Ukrainians move to cry foul to the world body.A military conflict is doubtful on any large scale at this time.
I would think that the news would notice that the real “build-up” is from the IMF. Everywhere they go, the people of affected nations suffer, like Cyprus, Greece, and others.
It makes perfect sense to me why Crimea wanted to go with Russia, if Kiev wanted the IMF!
When a person reads about what happened to the the poor people of Greece, after the IMF took charge, what a tragedy! People killing themselves because there’s no saferty nets or having pensions cut and public services cut, no jobs, and no hope at all, It makes perfect sense why the Russian choice made sense to the people of Crimea.
By choosing the IMF, Kiev sold out the people. WHY would any nation do this to their people? Cyprus having its citizens savings cut to pay for the theft and stupidity of government officials?
The IMF is the April Fool that keeps taking and taking and leaving unstable governments and ruined people where ever it goes. That should be the NEWS, NBC.
The news media misses the Bush years where they had daily backstage access to military theater which put our bravest in harms’ way. A war between the superpowers would be a journalist’s dream!
Gloriana one thing you did not note is that the Greeks simply do not work as long or as hard as say the Germans do.And they expect much more cradle to the grave service.I think you giving the “poor people” a bi is going a little too far.And the Germans should not have to bail out those who want to play too long in the sun
This “April Fool’s” joke is what we in the US get. The mass media has no real reporters/journalists, all they employ are stenographers who write down all they are told then spew it out to their higher ups, be they print editors or TV “anchors” (aka; news readers).
Just my opinion, yours may vary.
SInce NATO has now produced satellite images which document the troop build-up on Ukraine’s border, I hope that FAIR will address the development, even if it’s to cast aspersions on it. Perhaps some, any, evidence of violence against ethnic Russians (the rationale for the annexation of the Crimea) would also be appreciated.
Of course, official “bluster” from America should be questioned by responsible journalists. But it’s odd that Putin has not inspired similar scrutiny from FAIR, considering, not unimportantly, that he has demonstrated actual military aggression in the region lately. Maybe some more scrutiny of Russia Today media would also be helpful, as more Americans are finding it an alternative news source.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/11/world/europe/satellites-show-russia-mobilizing-near-ukraine-nato-says.html?_r=0