Democrats + Mainstream Media = Demedia

The distinguished Jack Kelly just nails the New York Times to the wall. The gist: a pro-active attempt by the Army to improve its body-armor -- before any terrorists had had a chance to exploit it -- was mercilessly spun as a negative story by the Times' Michael Moss.

Drink deeply from the sweet chalice of wisdom and read the whole thing.

...[the old] vests weighed 24 lbs each. The interceptor ensemble — which can stop an AK-47 bullet fired from just 10 feet away — weighs just 16 lbs. But the best isn't perfect. There are some special types of ammunition that can penetrate the boronic carbide plates. Last year Army leaders became aware of improvements that could be made to the SAPI plates that would protect against most (though not all) of these special types of ammunition. There is little evidence insurgents in Iraq are using the special types of ammunition that can defeat the "Interceptor." But the Army wanted to be proactive, to defeat a potential threat before it emerged... ...Here's how the story was presented by Moss in the New York Times Aug. 14th: "For the second time since the Iraq war began, the Pentagon is struggling to replace body armor that is failing to protect American troops from the most lethal attacks of insurgents. "The ceramic plates in vests worn by most personnel cannot withstand certain munitions the insurgents use. But more than a year after military officials initiated an effort to replace the armor with thicker, more resistant plates, tens of thousands of soldiers are still without the stronger protection because of a string of delays in the Pentagon's procurement system." Spoehr told Moss all the things he told me, but there is not a single positive quote in his story. "You would get the impression that our soldiers were in harm's way or at risk," Spoehr said. "That is not true."

Ah, the Old York Times. Just as relevant as Dan Rather's Air National Guard coverage. And, just as timely.

Jack Kelly: Unspinning the NY Times' military mendacity