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NBC's selection for its lead was not so much newsworthy as it was evocative. "The strain of the Iraq War has clearly taken its toll on the usually no-nonsense Defense Secretary," Andrea Mitchell observed, as Gates burst into tears while reading a speech in honor of Douglas Zembiec. The USMC major, whose nickname was the Lion of Fallujah, earned a desk job at the Pentagon after winning honors for battlefield heroism in 2004 but volunteered to return for a fourth tour in Iraq, where he was killed two months ago. Secretary Gates recalled writing a letter of condolence to Zembiec's widow. The Pentagon boss "still carries the burden of the war," mused Mitchell, "and the fighting goes on."
Both NBC and ABC covered the teleconference briefings from Baghdad that the Pentagon scheduled for members of Congress. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski judged that "lawmakers appeared unconvinced." Sen Pete Domenici (R-NM), for example, was "more certain than ever" that a troop pullout should get underway. ABC's Jonathan Karl covered the testimony of Amb Ryan Crocker and Gen Ray Odierno. Crocker "acknowledged that the Iraqi government is unlikely to meet the benchmarks set by Congress." Odierno claimed "tangible signs of progress" in Iraq, including the underwhelming assessment that "more than 50% of Baghdad" is now under control." Diplomat Crocker used a single word to describe the atmosphere in Iraq: "Fear."
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