The New Republic?s ?Baghdad Diarist? admits to exaggerations and falsehoods

[ProfJohn]

So the New Republic makes a big deal out of a soldier they have in Baghdad who is writing stories for them. Soon this guy starts making these claims about events taking place in Iraq.

There is a big blow up about whether these things ever happened and the magazine is forced to reveal who the anonymous writer is. Well the second this happens reporters and military officials start asking others in his unit if some of the things he talks about actually happened. And what do you know; no one wants to back him up on his most outlandish claims.

Well now it seems that Mr. Baghdad Diarist has admitted that his articles ?were exaggerations and falsehoods--fabrications containing only "a smidgen of truth,"

This is the same New Republic that hired and then fired Stephen Glass for making up stories and quotes, you wonder if they will ever learn.
link

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.

According to the military source, Beauchamp's recantation was volunteered on the first day of the military's investigation. So as Beauchamp was in Iraq signing an affidavit denying the truth of his stories, the New Republic was publishing a statement from him on its website on July 26, in which Beauchamp said, "I'm willing to stand by the entirety of my articles for the New Republic using my real name."

The magazine's editors admitted on August 2 that one of the anecdotes Beauchamp stood by in its entirety--meant to illustrate the "morally and emotionally distorting effects of war"--took place (if at all) in Kuwait, before his tour of duty in Iraq began, and not, as he had claimed, in his mess hall in Iraq. That event was the public humiliation by Beauchamp and a comrade of a woman whose face had been "melted" by an IED.

Nothing public has been heard from Beauchamp since his statement standing by his stories, which was posted on the New Republic website at 6:30 a.m. on July 26. In their August 2 statement, the New Republic's editors complained that the military investigation was "short-circuiting" TNR's own fact-checking efforts. "Beauchamp," they said, "had his cell-phone and computer taken away and is currently unable to speak to even his family. His fellow soldiers no longer feel comfortable communicating with reporters. If further substantive information comes to light, TNR will, of course, share it with you."

Now that the military investigation has concluded, the great unanswered question in the affair is this: Did Scott Thomas Beauchamp lie under oath to U.S. Army investigators, or did he lie to his editors at the New Republic? Beauchamp has recanted under oath. Does the New Republic still stand by his stories?

 

[cliftonite]

exaggerations and falsehoods

Hmm sounds something like the intel used to justify this war

 

[WHAMPOM]

"Trust but verify" seems to take a back seat to "gimme juicy articles". Oh! Right! They no longer hire staff that know the difference.

 

[dahunan]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Gannon

 

[jpeyton]

More lies from our soldiers in Iraq.

Add this to the guys who raped and murdered a 14 year old Iraqi girl and her family, and then lied to cover it up.

Add this to the guy who murdered an innocent Iraqi man during a hunt for an insurgent, planted evidence on the body and lied to save his skin.

That's why you should take any "military blogs" you read with a grain of salt. There is so much propaganda in our armed services (to further "the cause").

 

[fskimospy]

Lets address the topic summary: I think you nailed it on the head. No the left never tells the truth about anything. The left in America is a 5th column, living on deceit... thriving in the chaos that it creates. It has no objectives, no principles, and nothing but a desire to see the standard of living for themselves and their countrymen plunge into the toilet as we are subjugated by Islamic fascists. Why do they do it? Because nobody likes a winner, they just can't stand to root for the big guy. The left promotes its duplicitous campaign of fake patriotism out of sheer spite, just so they can get in power long enough to sell the country out to the enemy du jour. Thank god the Republicans are there to stand up for America and Jesus. Particularly Jesus. He might be the almighty creator of the universe, but he's having an awful lot of trouble these days keeping people from watching the teletubbies.

See? I can write something just as stupid as the topic summary there too. Why would you include such a petulant swipe at people? Do you think that the left never tells the truth about anything, or are you just channeling FOX news with your 'questions' that you include?

 

[Jhhnn]

Lots of desperation on the rightwing, eskimospy. So they'll lash out in ways designed to discredit their detractors, rather than to actually support their own positions. It's all they've got, so they'll use it...

The whole rationale behind the invasion of Iraq was based on lies and deception, some of it apparently self deception, so any incidents like the one described will be used in an attempt to trot out the "They're just as Bad!" song and dance.

I wonder if they have a copyright on that... maybe it's now a registered trademark...

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: cliftonite
exaggerations and falsehoods

Hmm sounds something like the intel used to justify this war

Touche ad infinitum.

When it comes to this war, Republicans are in the most fragile glass house ever built.

 

[jonks]

I'll await a source other than the Weekly Standard for news on what happened. Maybe he lied a lot, maybe just a little, but let's see what someone other than Bill Kristol thinks.

 

[Genx87]

Whatever happened to the fake soldier who claimed him and his unit massacared dozens of Iraqi civilians? Did the left ever apologize for pasting his bogus remarks across the wire and let the Islamists run wild over it without a care in the world for even doing the most basic of fact checking. Like oh say, seeing if the douchebag ever served in Iraq?

Oh, wait, page 43 in the local news section.

So why does it surprise you liberals are yet again allowing a liar write stories and they publish them?

 

[Gneisenau]

Like these are the only org that ever had a bum reporter. It wasnt that long ago that the NY times had to fire a report for lieing, and Reuters had to fire someone for photoshoping photos. Do you think it's the democrats fault for this? (Let's face it, the NY times is pretty left leaning.)
The left has pumped out it share of proaganda on the this war too. It seems like only bad things about it get published, nothing good is ever reported. But it guess it's ok to be blind to all that if you take the democratic position on life.
Please....

 

[yllus]

Who the hell reads an anonymous blogger's journal and expects accuracy?

 

[palehorse]

I hope the SOB gets chaptered out of the military and put in jail for intentionally undermining our efforts in Iraq.

Then, may he rot in hell!

 

[umbrella39]

Originally posted by: cliftonite
exaggerations and falsehoods

Hmm sounds something like the intel used to justify this war

LOL, indeed. Isn't it almost funny when they complain at this point in the game about tactics they themselves used to justify this 'war' in the first place? /thread

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: palehorse74
I hope the SOB gets chaptered out of the military and put in jail for intentionally undermining our efforts in Iraq.

Then, may he rot in hell!

Calm down Francis, for all we know this may be a fictitious person.

 

[senseamp]

It's a blog. It's not like the author invaded a country, got thousands of Americans killed, and wasted hundreds of billions of dollars based on a lie...

 

[jonks]

They have WMDs.
We have enough troops.
We'll be greeted as liberators.
Oil will pay for the war.
The insurgency is in it's last throes.

So say the left can't tell the truth, and the right can't get anything right.

The left lies to get us out of a disastrous war, the right lies to start disastrous wars.

The left is excitable about the effects of global warming, but if they are wrong, the end result will be less pollution. The right tries to convince people there is no problem with global warming, and if they are wrong we all die.

Who's wrongs do you prefer?

 

[ayabe]

Originally posted by: yllus
Who the hell reads an anonymous blogger's journal and expects accuracy?

Exactly.

Even trusted blogs make frequent mistakes you can expect even less from a single person.

This isn't part of some grand conspiracy by the left, the Administration and their enablers lie about Iraq everyday. It's very hard to get impartial information, especially now. Michael Ware is about the only person I listen to with regards to how things are really going.

Everyone else either has a clear but agenda or cannot speak the truth for one reason or another due to their political or military position.

 

[Mxylplyx]

You people bickering over whose propoganda is better is pathetic.

"Our lies are okay, because your lies were bigger"

News in this country is nothing more but propoganda spewed by both sides. Truth be damned if it helps your cause, because your cause is better than the other guys, and therefore the ends justify the means. The big wigs with their media connections lead you people around like sheep, and you all let them.

 

[senseamp]

Riight, you are still trying to equate the lie that got us into Iraq with this? Are you completely bonkers? How many people died because of what some dude wrote in some blog? How many billions have we wasted? You really don't see the difference between someone writing some BS in a blog and the government lying a country into a war?

 

[ProfJohn]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: palehorse74
I hope the SOB gets chaptered out of the military and put in jail for intentionally undermining our efforts in Iraq.

Then, may he rot in hell!

Calm down Francis, for all we know this may be a fictitious person.

He is real Red, even the New Republic says that.

 

[umbrella39]

Originally posted by: senseamp
Riight, you are still trying to equate the lie that got us into Iraq with this? Are you completely bonkers? How many people died because of what some dude wrote in some blog? How many billions have we wasted? You really don't see the difference between someone writing some BS in a blog and the government lying a country into a war?

Hmm, that's a good question. I am very interested in his response. Sounds like a compression between apples and WMDs to me.

 

[senseamp]

Plus why should I care what some idiot wrote in some blog? Unlike the idiots who voted for Bush, I didn't vote for that blogger, so I don't see why I need to defend or justify his lies. Now those of you who enabled Bush to gain power may have some responsibility for his lies, but I have no such responsibility for liberal bloggers.

 

[palehorse]

Originally posted by: senseamp
Plus why should I care what some idiot wrote in some blog? Unlike the idiots who voted for Bush, I didn't vote for that blogger, so I don't see why I need to defend or justify his lies. Now those of you who enabled Bush to gain power may have some responsibility for his lies, but I have no such responsibility for liberal bloggers.

nobody is asking you to "justify his lies," but I've seen that you and yours certainly never have any problem embracing them...

 

[senseamp]

Originally posted by: palehorse74

Originally posted by: senseamp
Plus why should I care what some idiot wrote in some blog? Unlike the idiots who voted for Bush, I didn't vote for that blogger, so I don't see why I need to defend or justify his lies. Now those of you who enabled Bush to gain power may have some responsibility for his lies, but I have no such responsibility for liberal bloggers.

nobody is asking you to "justify his lies," but I've seen that you and yours certainly never have any problem embracing them...

Where have I embraced those lies, or where have I even mentioned them, because I sure don't remember reading anything from this guy. You on the other hand voted for a guy who lied our country into a war, maybe twice.