Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire but that story was withheld so that he could be propped as an American hero by our military and the Bush White House. Instead, we were told, Tillman fought valiantly to the death against our bitter enemies. The football star who gave up everything to die for his country could not have been an easier sell for the military.
Jessica Lynch was rescued from an ambush in Iraq and had her story dramatically altered to create another soft-focus hero for the patriotic American public. Lynch was praised for her fictional heroism in this battle and became yet another perfect poster child for the pro-war crowd. Poll numbers were high. Tillman’s funeral was nationally televised and Lynch’s story was made into a television movie.
We now know that these stories were purposefully dramatized and re-invented by our military and the Bush administration to sell a war that had no justification, nor strategy. When we say that Bush “lied,” you can take either of these stories as examples of just that. As Pat Tillman’s brother said today:
“We believe this narrative was intended to deceive the family but more importantly the American public,” Kevin Tillman told a House Government Reform and Oversight Committee hearing.
Jessica Lynch, who, unlike Pat Tillman was able to speak for herself, said:
“The bottom line is the American people are capable of determining their own ideals of heroes and they don’t need to be told elaborate tales.”
How many other tales has the White House spun over the course of this dreadful presidency? The truth is like kryptonite to these guys.