Administration Squelches Media Coverage of Iraq Death Toll

Journalist Josh Marshall points out how quick the Bush administration was in trying to squelch media coverage of the fact that 1,000 Americans have now been killed in Iraq. At 4:27 eastern time, AP put a story on its wire with the headline, "U.S. death toll in Iraq passes 1,000 mark." Just 13 minutes later, a new AP headline read "Ridge: Terrorists hope to disrupt election" after a press conference by the Homeland Security secretary. Ridge offered no new evidence, and simply reiterated what the administration has been saying for months, with no apparent new news angle.