News reporting

Reporters report what they want to hear or hear what they want to report -- and perhaps see what they want to see, and then report that. The newsmaker has a minor role -- and actual events and facts about those events have a minor role too.

That's this old fool's conclusion after seeing Petreaus and Crocker testify and seeing Bob Gates talk to Jim Lehrer last night -- and then reading the LAT reporting on same.

LAT reporter Julian Barnes reports this morning that Bob Gates hopes to reduce U.S. forces in Iraq to half present strength by the end of 2008 and says that's a more dramatic reduction than Bush has spoken of. That, Barnes says, means that Gates and Bush are not on the same page.

Everybody hopes what Gates hopes, except those who hope for a political bump from our defeat. The president probably hopes we can bring the troops home the day after tomorrow. But he and Gates and Petraeus and Crocker and everyone else who loves this country must be realistic. Half strength by the end of 2008 may not be possible.

It's risky to say what you hope if you're president of the U.S. or commander in Iraq. If what you hope doesn't happen then reporters, talking heads and political opponents will say you mislead them. Some may accuse Gates of that if troop strength in Iraq isn't down to one-half by January 2009. But he clearly expressed to Lehrer a hope, not an expectation.