Operation "Iraqi Enduring Photo-Op" Part II

As we covered earlier, the flap over Bush's staged Q&A session with our "boots on the ground in Iraq" is still drawing attention. There are certainly questions to be answered about the pre-screened soldiers, the scripted questions and answers, the rehearsals, etc. But at least the soldiers themselves were the real deal, right? Credit where credit is due, people. These are some unbiased troops with their own points of view regarding the conflict and ...

Uh oh. Media Citizen seems to think that at least some of the soldiers don't pass the "smell test" for unbiased opinion.

I've dug further into the history of First Lieutenant Gregg Murphy of the 278th Regimental Combat Team and found that there's more to Murphy than meets the lens. His pro-Bush rhetoric is sprinkled throughout the media in articles dating back to 2003.

This begs the question: how could one soldier get so much face time?

In a June article in the Chattanooga Times-Free Press, Murphy rushed to Bush's defense:

"President Bush is absolutely right in staying the course here," said Lt. Gregg Murphy, of Chattanooga, in an e-mail. "Who is going to preserve human rights and protect the huge investment for peace that we have already made if not the U.S. military?"

Here's an another sample of Murphy in action, from a 2004 Lee Pitts story:

Lt. Gregg Murphy, of Chattanooga, is one of about 4,000 soldiers with the 278th Regimental Combat Team now in Iraq. He said in an e-mail that he would jump at the chance to "set the record straight about Iraq" by telling "the real story of soldiers, not the blood, guts and carnage."

I would like to echo the question asked by Media Citizen. With nearly a quarter of a million troops rotating in and out of Iraq from the United States to pick from, exactly how does one single soldier get so much face time with the MSM? And isn't it an interesting footnote how he just happens to be one of the soldiers who is more gushing in his admiration for Dubya than even Hariett "you're the bestest governor ever!" Miers?

This is not to say in any way that Mr. Murphy isn't sincere in his support for his president, his country and his mission in Iraq. I'm quite sure he is. But if you have to keep using the same face over and over again when Dear MisLeader™ needs a boost for his ratings, I have to wonder how big the pro-Bush talent pool is from which they are drawing.