CNN airs tape of sniper attacks on American servicemen. Is this too real for Americans?

CNN executive said Thursday the network's effort to present the "unvarnished truth" about the Iraq war led it to televise portions of a video that shows insurgent snipers targeting U.S. military personnel.

In one instance, the tape shows a uniformed member of the U.S. military milling in a public area with Iraqis. A shot rings out. CNN fades the screen to black before the result — described as a victim falling forward — is visible.

It's one of 10 separate sniper attacks on Americans documented on the tape, which CNN technicians concluded was authentic, said David Doss, executive producer of Cooper's show, in a Web log entry describing the network's decision what to show.

I saw this footage yesterday and I can attest to the fact that it is quite disturbing. I certainly understand that this more then likely makes many of the insurgents very happy to see their footage being shown on CNN, and I know that it will have a chilling effect on the families of troops serving overseas, but does that mean that we should not know how bad it really is in Iraq?

I mean this administration just flat does not tell us the truth. Without CNN, MSNBC, CBS, and ABC placing their reporters in danger to bring us these stories we would have no fucking idea what is really going on over there. Our government would very happily leave us in the dark and feed us lies throughout this conflict.

And lets face it, seeing this footage has a much more powerful impact then just hearing the descriptions from journalists. I think that it is a necessary evil of war. The public may be exposed to just how horrible it is for their loved ones and countrymen in the middle of this conflict. And they should be allowed to see that.