Credibility of the United States

The decision by CBS News to fire four staffers over the document flap is appropriate. And if CBS President Andrew Heyward was as involved in the story as Dan Rather seemed to suggest last fall, Heyward should resign as well.

But as concerned as I am about the integrity and credibility of any news organization, I am far more concerned about the credibility of the United States. And to that end, CBS seems to have shown far more courage and accountability than our own government.

You see, a group of defense department policy makers had their own sort of "document flap" in the case for war with Iraq.

Remember Ahmed Chalabi, the Iraqi opposition leader in exile who was paid millions of dollars by the Pentagon? He gave the civilian leaders at the Pentagon some documents that were allegedly from Iraqi scientists... documents that allegedly proved Iraq was an imminent threat to the United States. Chalabi also provided written testimony from Iraqis who claimed Saddam was close to completing a nuclear bomb.

Were the documents authenticated? Were the claims confirmed? The answer is "no." Because to do that kind of fact checking might have undermined the story line. Sound familiar?

Unfortunately, the Pentagon's document flap contributed to decisions that led to the loss of life... not just the loss of somebody's reputation. But guess how many people in this administration have been fired, reprimanded, or forced to resign because of any of the mistakes made before, during, or after the invasion of Iraq? Try "zero."

Again, when mistakes are made in collecting, analyzing, or reporting information... the people responsible should be held accountable. But that should apply across the board to everybody who speaks to the American public... and not just at CBS News.