Ever since the heroic War on Terror began, the Pentagon hasn't let the media cover the arrival home of the coffins of dead US soldiers. Now maybe they'll loosen that ban...because the Pentagon hates war?

The Secretary of Defense is reportedly "tilting" towards changing the rules. Opinion of the families of fallen soldiers seems to be split on the issue of whether or not they should let the media into Dover Air Force base when the coffins arrive. But of course:

"This is very much Democratically driven to make it available to the public so they can publicize the negative side of the war and show the American public there is a high cost to be paid here," said Cal Peters, whose stepson, Marine Capt. Garret Lawton, died Aug. 4 in Afghanistan. "I think this is the ultimate disrespect."

Consider the original reason for the ban, instituted by the first President Bush during the first Gulf War:

It came about after a controversy arose when Bush held a news conference at the same moment the first U.S. casualties were returning to Dover the day after the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989, and three television networks carried the events live on split screen, with Bush appearing at one point to joke while on the opposite screen the solemn ceremony unfolded at the Delaware base.

So pure and patriotic. Just let the families decide, and everybody stop being jerks. [WP; Pic via]