Rather than address the latest casualty figures in the U.S. attack on Iran, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth spent part of his press briefing this morning attacking CNN and musing that he wished the press corps would be “patriotic.”
Hegseth remarked, “But some in this crew, in the press, just can’t stop. Allow me to make a few suggestions. People look up at the TV and they see banners. They see headlines. I used to be in that business. And I know that everything is written intentionally.
“For example, a banner or a headline, ‘Mideast War intensifies,’ splashing on the screen the last couple of days alongside visuals of civilian or energy targets that Iran has because that’s what they do.”
He added, “What should the banner read instead? How about ‘Iran increasingly desperate?'”
“Because they are. They know it, and so do you, if it can be admitted.”
Or more fake news from CNN. ‘Reports that the Trump administration underestimated the Iran War’s impact on the Strait of Hormuz..'”
“Patently ridiculous, of course. For decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Streat of Hormuz. This is always what they do, hold the straight hostage.”
Then came a direct attack on the ownership of CNN, which is likely to change soon thanks to the latest mega-media merger between Paramount and Warner Bros.
“CNN doesn’t think we thought of that. It’s a fundamentally unserious report.”
The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better!
“Another example of a fake headline that I saw yesterday: ‘War Widening.'”
“Here’s a real headline for you for an actual patriotic press. How about ‘Iran shrinking, going underground?'”
“You see Iran’s leaders are hiding in bunkers and moving into civilian areas. The only thing that is widening is our advantage.”
“Not to mention our Gulf partners stepping up even more now going on the offense. And have always been with us on the defense with collective and integrated air defenses.”
Afterwards, CNN’s John Berman told viewers, “Very notable press briefing from the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, and the chair of the joint chiefs, Dan Caine. I would say the most defensive we have seen Pete Hegseth in any of these briefings. He led off not with mentioning the four airmen lost over Iraq and the refueling tanker, although he did get to that ultimately. Dan Caine led with that, but the secretary led with an attack on the press.”
“I think most notably in terms of where things stand in the conflict, the secretary was talking a great deal about the Strait of Hormuz and the fact that there is really almost no shipping passing through, and the reports that the United States, I think, may be behind in dealing with this,” Berman added. “The secretary said that Iran is operating with desperation in the strait. He said the United States is dealing with it, the United States has been dealing with it, and most notably, the secretary says we don’t need to worry about it.”
Pete Hegseth should stick to defending the United States instead of having hissy fits because he doesn’t get the coverage he wants. Even better, if the Secretary of Defense is going to be such a damn thin-skinned wimp, he should resign and go back to spewing bullshit over at Faux News.
