Pretty much this:
Whatever I think of the situation in Somalia, it is--I agree--the military's role to break things and kill people when instructed. As incidents like that ridiculous "Collateral Murder" video show, it's becoming difficult to do that.
The public's attention is an important distinction. It's important because we're a voting public, and unpopular military action subtracts votes from the guys who ordered it. If a tree falls on a hostage in Somalia and Anderson Cooper isn't around to furrow his brow, does anybody lose an election?
CNN is useful to me as an indicator of what the public at large is interested in. For actual news, I get my hands dirty digging.
Er, yeah, I said "military" when I meant those who make the decisions on where to send it.
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