Lynn C. Woolsey: “1 year ago on May 1, President Bush made a huge mistake when he stood in front of a banner that read ``Mission…”

“1 year ago on May 1, President Bush made a huge mistake when he stood in front of a banner that read ``Mission Accomplished'' and told the Nation that major combat operations in Iraq were over; huge error. The truth is that major combat operations are very far from being over. Of the 734 American soldiers who have died in Iraq, nearly 600 have died since the President claimed an end to major combat operations. April of the year 2004 was just as devastating to our troop levels as April of the year 2003. To add insult to injury, the Bush administration continues to maintain its tight grip on the media, engaging in a brand of censorship that is at stark contrast with fundamental American values of freedom of speech and freedom of press, a mistake in every way in this country of ours. First the Coalition Provisional Authority, which runs Iraq and which was created by the Bush administration, decided to create its own television operation to broadcast live to the United States 24 hours a day from Iraq. The point of C-SPAN Baghdad, as it was dubbed, was to put a positive spin on events and circumvent the major networks by transmitting directly to local and regional media outlets in the United States.”