President Bush's nominee for chief Pentagon spokesman appeared in jeopardy yesterday, with a senior Democrat leaving open the possibility of blocking the appointment.

J. Dorrance Smith, the nominee, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee in a closed session about an opinion article in which he accused U.S. television networks of helping terrorists through the networks' partnerships with al-Jazeera.

The article has sparked concern among committee members and has prompted Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.) to pledge to defeat Smith's nomination to be assistant secretary of defense for public affairs.

"I have deep concerns about whether or not he should be representing the United States government and the Department of Defense with that kind of attitude and approach," Levin said after yesterday's hearing.

"I will consult with colleagues on the next step," he said when asked whether he intended to put a "hold" on the nomination.

Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), the committee chairman, said he expected to forward Smith's nomination to the full Senate later this week. "I have confidence in this nominee," Warner said.

But Levin called Smith's comments in the article "extreme" and "over the top."

In an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal in April, Smith wrote: "Osama bin Laden, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and al Qaeda have a partner in Al-Jazeera and, by extension, most networks in the U.S. This partnership is a powerful tool for the terrorists in the war in Iraq."

Smith also singled out U.S. networks, saying: "Al-Jazeera has very strong partners in the U.S. -- ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CNN and MSNBC. Video aired by Al-Jazeera ends up on these networks, sometimes within minutes."

The hearing was the second for Smith, a former ABC News producer who spent nine months in Iraq as a senior media adviser to then-U.S. Ambassador L. Paul Bremer.

Smith would replace Victoria Clarke, who left the position in 2003. The post has remained vacant since then, although Lawrence T. Di Rita, the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, has assumed many of the responsibilities.

Commentary:
The image of the US military is bloodied nearly beyond repair thanks to the endless efforts of Bush and Co. to destroy integrity, honesty and honor in the military. The odd part is so many in the military gave in to Bush and his lies. One would have thought at least one high ranking officer would have called Bush a liar on day one. Recall, the military is not required to follow illegal orders and there have been a lot of illegal orders under Bush.

Let's tell Congress these fascists are not welcome in our government.