XDA

Lefty columnist at the Denver Post, David Sirota, formerly a Democratic political strategist, continues his campaign of disinformation and piddling insight with a weirdly titled piece yesterday, called: The Science Fiction of Military Marketing.

It seems Mr. Sirota has just twigged to the fact that the United States Armed Forces advertise enlisting therein using the most glamorous and exciting tasks the enlisted do. Wow, one is simply amazed at the intellectual achievement of such an insight. Who knew?

I recall the Navy ads of 25 years ago which had kick ass rock music and slick editing of the best and brightest of jobs in the Navy, with the tag line "The Navy. It's not just a job, it's an adventure." Saturday Night Live, back when it was funny, skewered those ads with a parody showing, in the same style, most of the non-glamorous jobs in the Navy, like KP duty and latrine cleaning, and ended: "The Navy. It's not just a job, it's $89.74 a week."

Here are a few of Mr. Sirota's bons mots:

As Bush-era attempts to conflate bellicosity and patriotism were undermined by persistent body bags, military recruitment has become more challenging. In response, the Pentagon hopes to make prospective volunteers believe their tours of duty will be as safe as a night on the couch.

I'll skip the blame Bush meme (after all, who wouldn't blame Bush for actually and finally fighting back and freeing 50 million plus from mind blowing oppression). But with his calling recruitment "more challenging," Sirota implies that recruitment is failing. It's not. Or that the ads with kick ass music and slick editing of the coolest things about each branch of service are new. They're not; see above.

There's more:

It's a good bet more than a few enlistees will expect their service to be happy video games, only to find themselves dodging real bullets in a Baghdad shooting gallery.

What utterly inane condescension. It is a constant theme with lefty writers that our armed forces are full of losers who couldn't make it in the economy at home and who are not the brightest bulbs in the marquee. I imagine that most of them are savvy enough to know that American combat troops left Iraqi cities, like Baghdad, about two month ago and are being shot at only rarely now, out in the countryside. (It was in all the papers). The idea that our competent and deadly armed forces were like the targets in shooting gallery is more evidence of the left's, or more specifically Mr. Sirota's, contempt for them. In reality, in both Afghanistan and formerly in Iraq, the Taliban and al Qaeda types are generally the poor dumb bastard being blown apart by .50 BMG and Hellfire missiles.

Labels: David Sirota: Lefty Contempt For Military; Advertising Enlistment