Magicians call it misdirection, and good ones use it to make you believe that they pulled a rabbit out of their hat. It's pretty simple really, you just draw the audience's attention to what you're doing with your left hand so that they don't notice what you're up to with you right hand.
Let's see, this week the Bush administration surprised us by moving up the much anticipated "sovereignty" of Iraq by two days. What did that mean? Was it a courageous step to bring freedom to the long suffering people of Iraq or just a cynical early retreat to avoid some especially bloody attacks that we feared might be coming? What would it mean for U.S. involvement and for the Iraqi people? And what about Saddam?
Lots of very good questions. And what with everyone from Dan Rather to Anderson Cooper on hand in Iraq getting ready to cover the planned turn-over, wall-to-wall coverage direct from the battle field was guaranteed.
With all this attention, though, it's time to watch out for misdirection. What was the right hand doing while we were watching the left hand grant freedom in Iraq?
Could it be the little covered story about the Pentagon's move to force 5,600 former soldiers back to Iraq? That's right, former soldiers, people who recently left the service having completed all of their obligations. And since they have up-to-date skills they will be on their way to Iraq immediately. Of course they'll be returning to a free Iraq, and that will probably make all the difference to them.
What do you suppose will happen tomorrow while we're all preoccupied watching as the left hand gives us Court TV like live court room coverage of the beginning of Saddam Hussein's trial?
Associated Press: Army Recalling Thousands Who Left Service
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