AUSTIN BAY SAYS IT’S THE SAME OLD SONG where media coverage of Jay Garner’s reconstruction effort is concerned:

According to his critics, Jay Garner is already Tommy Franks. No, I don”t mean the Gen. Franks of April 2003, but the Gen. Franks of March 2003 and — for that matter — of October 2001.

Garner’s reconstruction effort is already in trouble with media fingerwaggers. Never mind that gunfire continues to sputter. Why, Garner lacks sufficient personnel, there’s infighting at the Pentagon — shucks, his plan is flawed.

Heard it before? Sure, track back three weeks with the likes of The New York Times’ R.W. Apple excoriating Central Command. Reconstructing Iraq has barely begun, but the critical piling-on is already in progress. One horror among the usual cranks is Garner has oil industry contacts and he’s retired military. Of course, anyone with a knack for the obvious knows both knocks are welcome assets, given Iraq’s petroleum reserves and the iffy security situation. The cranks appear to prefer Garner be a Marxist sociology prof with a ‘stop the war” tattoo on his tongue. . . .

Bay also notes:

Garner’s and the Iraqi people’s task is truly a 21st century endeavor. Their sweat, vision and spine must surmount some of the 20th century’s worst fascist and socialist depredations, while finessing 12th century religious attitudes. They must accomplish this under the harsh gaze of an insistent, antsy media with biases to feed and ratings to spur.

For the sake of Iraq’s people, better put some patient, credible minds behind that media gaze. How many critics got Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom dead wrong? Where are the massive civilian casualties and the quagmire in the sand? Spin it to me again, about Vietnam in Baghdad?

Patient, credible minds? Does Howell Raines have any of those at hand? I think it’s the media that needs more, and better, troops.