Stifling Dissent

Where's the US media?

Recent calls for a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq -- at a slow or speedy pace -- got a major boost today with news that all three of Iraq's leading political factions had collectively called for a timetable for withdrawal of all foreign forces. That comes on the heels of Rep. John Murtha's much-publicized call for a pullout, and new polls showing that six in 10 Americans -- and even eight in 10 Iraqis -- would like the U.S. to exit. Even Bill O'Reilly came out for it today, and many Republicans in Congress, with Election Day 2006 approaching, have expressed the hope that some pullouts will begin next year.

What's missing from this picture? An E&P survey of current editorials in major newspapers reveals that very few of them -- even after the new debate sparked by Murtha's plan -- favor a pullout or even setting a timetable for withdrawal.