I can never tell what’s going to cause a media feeding frenzy. Sometimes a politician will make a dumb joke and the media will pounce. Othertimes, a pol will say something completely outrageous, which generates a collective yawn. House Minority Leader John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) comments on CNN the other day seemed like the kind of story that could raise eyebrows.
If you’re just joining us, Boehner appeared on CNN on Wednesday, via satellite from Baghdad, where he defended the Bush administration’s policy. Wolf Blizter asked how much longer Americans should expect to lose in blood and treasure. Boehner responded that the costs are “a small price” to pay for the overall mission.
Dismissing U.S. sacrifices in Iraq as “small” seemed like a breathtakingly dumb and offensive thing to say. John Kerry pounced, imploring Boehner to apologize. The DNC and DCCC followed suit.
Regrettably, most of the media ignored the story, though the Politico got a response to the flap from Boehner’s communications director: “Wolf asked about the money spent in Iraq, and that’s what Mr. Boehner was referring to when he said our troops’ efforts are critical for the safety and security of our country.” (Actually, Blitzer’s question clearly included a reference to “the loss in blood, the Americans who are killed every month.”)
I was afraid that would be that, and the story would quickly disappear, but the controversy is showing signs of life.
Joe Biden weighed in:
“It’s unconscionable. Simply unconscionable. And the rationale put forward is simply ridiculous.”
More importantly, John McCain is urging Boehner to take it back.
“He misspoke. With all due respect, every American wounded or sacrificed is the greatest possible price to pay,” and we should all be grateful, “particularly those of us who sit in relative safety while those young men and women are fighting…. He ought to retract it.”
Two things to consider here. One, the media doesn’t have an excuse for ignoring this anymore. The DNC, DCCC, the last Democratic presidential nominee, a current Democratic presidential candidate, and a major Republican presidential candidate have all criticized Boehner’s remark. If Kerry’s botched joke drew blanket coverage, Boehner’s “small price” comment should get equal treatment.
Two, it’s worth considering why the media, so far, has been disinterested. Why would Kerry’s botched joke be a huge story, whereas Boehner’s comments were unimportant? I think it plays into pre-existing media narratives — reporters/editors/producers assume that the left is hostile to the military. Kerry’s joke offered “proof” that bolstered the media’s worldview, so they ran with it. Conversely, reporters assume that the right loves the military. Boehner’s dismissive attitude of thousands of U.S. deaths, therefore, are interpreted as little more than a poor choice of words.
The same thing happened in November 2006, also on CNN. Blitzer asked about Rumsfeld’s responsibility for problems in Iraq and Boehner blamed military officers instead. Dems tried to raise a fuss, but the media didn’t care. After all, Boehner’s a conservative, so he couldn’t have been anti-military, right?
Regardless, I still think Boehner should feel some heat over this. In fact, ideally, the rest of the Republican presidential candidates should feel compelled to weigh in: “Your party’s leader in the House of Representatives dismissed U.S. sacrifices in Iraq as a ‘small price.’ Do you agree? Are you prepared to condemn the comments? Will you vow not to campaign with or for John Boehner in the future?”