As the myth of the ?Spineless Democrat? runs rampant on Capitol Hill, Rep. Dennis Kucinich shows his backbone in a letter to Donald Rumsfeld, demanding full disclosure of the Pvt. Jessica Lynch rescue. In addition to ordering the public release of the unedited video footage, Kucinich?who?s vying with eight other Democrats for the party?s presidential endorsement?has requested clarification of several questions surrounding the events of her rescue.

Dear Secretary Rumsfeld,

I am writing to request your assistance in resolving the controversy surrounding the rescue of Private Jessica Lynch.

In the days following Private Lynch?s rescue from an Iraqi hospital by U.S. Special Forces, numerous U.S. officials described to national media outlets the circumstances surrounding this event. They portrayed Private Lynch as receiving bullet and knife wounds, experiencing mistreatment by Iraqi officials, and being spirited away amid harsh enemy fire. They reported that Private Lynch suffered amnesia and could not recall her rescue. Although U.S. officials requested anonymity, their stories were widely reported without correction or qualification by the Defense Department. Indeed, the Department appeared to confirm the accuracy of these reports, releasing for reporters an edited section of videotape taken by a military cameraman using night vision equipment. Indeed, in introducing this clip, General Vincent Brooks, the U.S. spokesman in Doha, reportedly said: ?Some brave souls put their lives on the line to make this happen.?[1]

More recently, however, contrary media accounts have emerged. At their core, these accounts argue that the rescue was essentially staged for a made-for-TV video. Specifically, these accounts have reported that, in fact, Private Lynch sustained no bullet or knife injuries. They have also reported that U.S. forces knew in advance of the operation that no Iraqi forces were guarding the hospital. They have reported that Iraqi medical staff treated Private Lynch humanely, even donating their own blood. They have reported that Iraqi medical staff actually tried to deliver Private Lynch in an ambulance two days earlier, but they were fired upon by U.S. forces. And they have reported that U.S. forces participating in the rescue of Private Lynch were not fired upon by Iraqi forces. Perhaps the harshest account claimed that the Pentagon?s staging of this event was ?one of the most stunning pieces of news management yet conceived.?[2] And Private Lynch?s father, Greg Lynch, told reporters that Private Lynch did not in fact suffer from amnesia. When he was asked to elaborate on the military operation that recovered his daughter, he said, ?Right now we are really not supposed to talk about that subject, you know.?