Pirate's Cove

NBC will probably just send out Keith Olberamann to tell Duyba to shut up or call our troops terrorists

The White House is calling on NBC News to declare whether the network still believes Iraq is mired in a “civil war,” escalating a fight that began when NBC aired an interview with President Bush that the White House called the product of “deceitful editing.”

The network rattled the White House in November 2006 when it called the conflict in Iraq a “civil war.” On Monday, White House Counselor Ed Gillespie wrote a letter to NBC News President Steve Capus, looking in part for an explanation of how NBC News now views the war.

White House press secretary Dana Perino said Tuesday the administration is “fed up” with the way NBC News is treating the Iraq war.

“I remember very distinctly, how there was a quite the pomp and circumstance when NBC, on The Today Show, decided to declare that they were declaring Iraq was a civil war. But since then, after the surge and things certainly have improved in Iraq, NBC has never had a corresponding ceremony to say that Iraq is not in a civil war. We’re just curious to find out what they believe,” she said.

Gillespie noted in his letter that “around September of 2007, your network quietly stopped referring to conditions in Iraq as a ‘civil war.’”

In two statements Monday, he asked for clarification.

“Is it still NBC News’s carefully deliberated opinion that Iraq is in the midst of a civil war?” he asked in the letter to Capus. “If not, will the network publicly declare that the civil war has ended, or that it was wrong to declare it in the first place?”

In a brief statement later, he said, “We … look forward to hearing their response to our additional concerns about their labeling Iraq as a ‘civil war.’”

So far, NBC News has not responded.

Well, good for the White House. About a year to late to be fighting back, but, it’s something. Will NBC step up to the plate to defend their position? Doubtful.