“…if that Weekly Standard story is correct, it moves Private Beauchamp into full-blown Stephen Glass territory. In essence, they made the same mistakes all over again – falling for pat cinematic vividness, pseudo-novelistic dialogue, all designed to confirm prejudices so ingrained the editors didn’t even recognize they were being pandered to. But this time they did it in war, which is worse.”
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OTJhZTViMDUxYmNhNWNiNzAzMGY0N2ExOWE0OGJkZGY=
THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned from a military source close to the investigation that Pvt. Scott Thomas Beauchamp–author of the much-disputed “Shock Troops” article in the New Republic’s July 23 issue as well as two previous “Baghdad Diarist” columns–signed a sworn statement admitting that all three articles he published in the New Republic were exaggerations and falsehoods–fabrications containing only “a smidgen of truth,” in the words of our source.
Separately, we received this statement from Major Steven F. Lamb, the deputy Public Affairs Officer for Multi National Division-Baghdad:
An investigation has been completed and the allegations made by PVT Beauchamp were found to be false. His platoon and company were interviewed and no one could substantiate the claims.”
http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2007/08/beauchamp_recants.asp
But in good Dan Rather tradition the New Republic tried to defend their bogus story which to any astute reader was absurd on its face. If you trumpet a tasty Progressive theme, even though totally discredited, you still “never have to say your sorry.” Bush derangement syndrome has driven many Progressive journalists over the edge.
EVERYTHING from “Shock Troops”, published in The New Republic (TNR) is a UCMJ violation under 934. ART. 134. GENERAL ARTICLE. Why is Franklin Foer shielding war criminals, if he really believes the story as strongly as he says?
If you were submitting articles that were generally okay and then dropped a story on your editor where you participated in crimes and then your editor confirmed with your conspirators that, indeed, they helped you commit crimes, wouldn’t the editor be morally obligated to forward the evidence to the proper authorities? Wouldn’t it be silly of an editor to demand the authorities fork over their investigative documents to him so reporters could write another story about the investigation?
That is the latest that Mr. Foer is demanding.
BTW, the BAE Bradley Expert that TNR interviewed is Mr. Doug Coffey and he holds a differing opinion from what TNR “re-reported” in their ‘investigation’..
The fairbanksing gets deeper and deeper.
Comment by Guy Montag — August 9, 2007 @ 9:34 pm |