"Embedded media" is the greatest contribution to the battlefield since the introduction of gunpowder. It's true. I read about it in the newspaper -- and saw it on TV.

The question begs, "to whom does embedded media contribute?" So far, we've witnessed its obvious psychological and propaganda contribution to the winning force as it marched essentially unopposed to Baghdad in just eleven days.

Would this same embedded media contribute to a losing force? Or could it become a losing force's largest detriment - to the point of highlighting the already losing force's vulnerabilities while restoring confidence of the enemy force - and to the point of turning national and world opinion against the pursuit of a legitimate war? Recent instances of the past twelve days indicate that even minor "pauses", changes in tactics, et al by the maneuvering force have been perceived by the untrained, embedded, civilian photographers and newsreaders to be "failures", have been reported and highlighted as failures, to the comfort of the enemy and to the detriment of the troops.

It appears that the real war in Iraq is about to begin; a period of war during which the tide of battles and skirmishes will change, bordering on winning and on defeat; a period of door-to-door fighting during which the side that moves gets killed; a period during which possible extended siege will fail to satisfy the embedded's penchant for instant gratification. Some fear that during these gut-wrenching times when winning depends on all that can be brought to bear on the enemy, the all-important psychological and propaganda efforts to confuse and defeat the enemy will be exposed and negated by the embedded media. Example: On Monday night in Southern Iraq, a Psychological Warfare Team was cleverly broadcasting over huge speakers, the audio of a supposedly large oncoming armored column bearing down on this southern town that was under siege -- the audio was magnificently convincing and was sure to cause havoc in the town, possibly resulting in surrenders and retreat -- well -- except for those enemy in the town who may have watched the whole secret operation on their TV. Thankfully, this particular embedded media faux pas was possibly of little consequence. A similar lapse of judgment in the weeks to come can be disastrous.

Before "Embedded Media" became the greatest contribution to the battlefield since the introduction of gunpowder, the greatest contribution was "Media". As witnessed in Somalia and in Vietnam wherein the media became the most powerful force, overshadowing military forces and dictating the outcome of those conflicts, it has also become Saddam Hussein's last best hope for winning this war.

Considering that our national media dictated the defeat of our country's efforts in Somalia and Vietnam, I shudder at the thought of having these liberal, politically correct and obnoxious malignancies embedded with our troops. I'm convinced that when the going gets rough, this embedded baggage will, without fail, manage to exacerbate at every turn, each and every already bad situation. God save our troops from these embedded critics who egotistically tout their "neutrality" but who've been allowed to become "planted" within in the name of political correctness.