I do agree though, the media should be welcomed to such events. Or the VA hospital for that matter, if people can’t accept seeing bleeding, dying troops and so on, they shouldn’t accept the war. But, if a civil war/ethnic cleasing/rape/genocide were to happen because of US troops leaving, you can’t really blame that on the US so it shouldn’t (and doesn’t) get media coverage. The side of the story that matters is ours. Period.

Also, putting troop deaths in people’s faces should help the Democrats, so that’s also a good thing.

If I remember correctly, the ban on the media from any negative photography during war was as a result of what the media tends to do, and did during the Vietnam war, was not tell the whole story.  As a result our troops endured the wrath of the politics when they came home from not only the general public, but their family. 

It’s all very political…depending upon who is in power…how do they want the situation perceived by the world.  The democrats want and need support for all of the decisions they are making.  Believe me, this has been well thought out.

I think this is a big mistake and is going to create a lot of controversy and division.

Outraged,

The record is clear on this matter.

I’m sorry but you are simply incorrect.

Not only should the coffins of the dead be aired, but interviews of wounded soldiers should be on television during primetime.  Names of the dead along with pictures should run before broadcasts of the idiotic reality shows, quiz shows etc.

The ban on photographing flag draped coffins at Dover Air Force base was requested by the troops in 1991. The reason the troops objected was due to the way the media was making a circus of the arrival of our dead solders during the Gulf War. The entire scene, according to the troops at Dover, was getting out of hand. The ban only applied to coffins arriving at Dover air base. There was never a policy to slip our dead solders out the back door.

It was the Commander at Dover that requested the ban. It was President George H.W. Bush that approved the ban. President Clinton agreed with the ban as did President George Bush.

We’ll wait to see how the media handle the situation after the photography ban is lifted. It’s possible President Obama will regret his decision.

Politicians and generals used the term “the Dover test” to describe the public’s tolerance for troop casualties.”

The so called Dover Test has nothing to do with the public’s tolerance, but has more to do with the apprehension of politicians who fear the public’s reaction to thousands of flag draped coffins returning from Iraq.  Ignorance is not bliss; hiding the remains of the dead from the war implies that the government is discomfited with the consequences of Iraq; if that is the case then why are troops still being deployed.