Leading questions

I am trying to fathom the mindset infecting many in the media firmament.

I have just come back from my Mum's cottage, where she has BBC News 24 on (unfortunately for her, and my, sanity pretty much 24/7), and there was a reporterette interviewing a senior Government Minister.

It follows the news of the latest tragic loss of life of British service personnel in Afghanistan.

Thing is, the logic behind and hence thrust of the questioning seemed to be along the lines of 'now a woman has been killed, isn't it time we pulled out?'.

Ignoring all the greater geopolitical issues and failings or otherwise of policy and leadership, as articulated that has frankly got to be the most facile thing I have ever heard, and if if endorsed by her superiors in editorial and above a truly worrying insight into the state of mind that exists within or national broadcaster.

I'm also not too sure that it serves the interest of our armed forces on the ground too well either (mind you, as I understand it that has not been a high priority in previous conflicts either).

Addendum

Rarely, I get newsflash emails. But only when something world-shattering happens. This just in:

A female soldier is one of four UK troops killed in a blast in Afghanistan, the BBC understands - the first woman soldier to die there.
For more details: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news

Tragic. But I don't recall getting many as a consequence of previous volunteer professional soldiers giving up their lives.