Fighting The War Of Words

By Richard Zoglin and Kate Novack

In the aftermath of the war in Afghanistan, the Administration rejected the term peacekeeping to describe postwar efforts there, calling them instead stability operations. Now the phrase is cropping up in news reports of the U.S.'s stay in postwar Iraq. Will this be another success in the Administration's effort to shape the language of war? A scorecard:

COALITION FORCES The Bush-approved term for U.S. and British forces in Iraq. TV news mostly fell into line during the war, though more are now calling Americans Americans.

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION They sound so much more fearsome than chemical or biological weapons. A few papers, like the New York Times, have been careful to use unconventional weapons or other terms instead.

OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM The rah-rah moniker for the war never caught on much with the evening newscasts--but Fox and MSNBC flaunt it.

OCCUPATION A no-no for the Bushies, but even Dan Rather has used it. Wash your mouth out! --By Richard Zoglin and Kate Novack