I can't say I'm surprised by this New York Times article depicting Bush Administration and Pentagon efforts to, essentially, build a propaganda machine aimed at convincing Americans to support the war in Iraq. Ex-military officers turned TV analysts have been pushing administration talking points in a concerted and organized effort.

Anyone who has read Orwell has to find this mildly troubling, to say the least:

"Measured in blood and treasure, the war in Iraq has achieved the status of a major war and a major debacle," said a new report issued not by some peacenik outfit but by the National Defense University press, which is basically a Pentagon think tank. The author, Joseph J. Collins, is a former Army colonel who has taught at West Point.

It's hard to know why we're treated to the 1,000-word scoop in the Politico this morning, or what to make of it:

Prior to the Easter recess, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was forced to intervene with Defense Secretary Robert Gates in order to get Democratic Rep. Tammy Baldwin’s domestic partner on a military flight for a congressional fact-finding trip to Europe.