The Associated Press is reporting that the Bush administration has packed the press office of the Iraq Coalition Provisional Authority with Republican operatives. Critics say the press office is so partisan that it is seen as an outpost of Bush’s reelection effort.

One of the main goals of the office, known as STRATCOM, has been to shed light on the positive side of the Iraq occupation.

One press release from late March read, “Beautification Plan for Baghdad Ready to Begin.” Another statement last month warned, “The Reality is Nothing Like What You See on Television.”

The office is headed by Dan Senor, a former press secretary for Spencer Abraham, the Michigan Republican who is now energy secretary. Senor formerly worked with the Carlyle Group.

Meanwhile, Rich Galen, the former press secretary of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Vice President Dan Quayle, oversees sending daily news releases directly to media outlets in the U.S.

One former CPA contractor said, “Iraq is in danger of costing George W. Bush his presidency, and the CPA’s media staff are determined to see that does not happen.”