What Wolfowitz Really Said: The truth behind the Vanity Fair "scoop."

The Weekly Standard ^ | 06/09/03 | William Kristol

[Timesink]

Special edition of the Schadenfreude Ping...

VANITY FAIR CAUGHT IN MASSIVE LIE - PAUL WOLFOWITZ QUOTES *****FABRICATED***** - SPREAD THE WORD!!!

Schadenfreude

This is the New York Times Schadenfreude Ping List. Freepmail me to be added or dropped.

[Timesink]

It depends how Vanity Fair handles this. If it publishes a full correction and an apology, it should not be added to the list of liars. The specific reporter in question should be, but not the magazine.

The magazine and its management are ultimately responsible. Unless their retractions are printed as full stories the size of the original lies, unless every ounce of public relations given to promote their original "big story" is given to promote the retraction - things that have NEVER HAPPENED IN THIS HISTORY OF MODERN JOURNALISM - then Vanity Fair is as responsible as the reporter.

[piasa]

THe UK Telegraph's little pack o' distortion on the vanity Fair interview misquote:

WMD Just a Convenient Excuse for War, Admits Wolfowitz (In Your Dreams, libs)

[GOPJ]

bump

[Terp]

It depends how Vanity Fair handles this. If it publishes a full correction and an apology, it should not be added to the list of liars. The specific reporter in question should be, but not the magazine.

Are you going to hold your breath? I'm not!!! But seriously I hope they do print a correction and apologize.

[Robert DeLong]

Good catch Pokey78.

[Lyford]

I must say that I'm really disappointed in Sam Tanenhaus (I assume it's the same one), who's biography of Whitaker Chambers was excellent...

[GailA]

Wonder how much it cost us yearly to maintain the No Fly Zone? An expensive operation we no longer foot the bill for.

[DoctorMichael]

I listened to what Wolfowitz said and found it quite honest, truthful and non-controversial. However, the slavering liberals in the media are desperate to gin-up a controversy.

Unfortunately, the rank and file lie-berals will repeat these accusations without reading the article itself or give it much philosophical thought. Does anybody think that the Sunday morning talk shows WON'T be spending their time on this overblown story?

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

Pentagon staffers were wise enough to tape-record the Tanenhaus-Wolfowitz interview.

Guess Vanity Fair didn't realize they were playing with the first team. Egg once again on the faces of the left's media mouthpieces.

[austinite]

Vanity Fair "blaired" what Wolfowitz said.....

[jrlc]

These liberals should keep up their twisted reporting -- Vanity Scare included -- pretty soon the entire American public will discount news reports the way Conservatives do.

[PhilipFreneau]

You just can't trust those liberal journalists.

[independentmind]

Furthermore, people of good will are entitled to disagree, even in retrospect, about the wisdom and probable effects of Saddam's forcible removal.

Oh, really? Where would that be?

[iconoclast]

Wolfowitz' words, "polished version"

Iraq's supposed cache of WMD had never been the most important casus belli. It was simply one of several reasons: "For bureaucratic reasons we settled on one issue, weapons of mass destruction, because it was the one reason everyone could agree on.

Wolfowitz' words, "unvarnished version"

Iraq's supposed cache of WMD had never been the real casus belli. It was simply one of several reasons: "For propaganda reasons we settled on one issue, weapons of mass destruction, because it was the one reason the sheeple could be roused with.

[OldFriend]

We have our own axis of media weasels........and ought to include the BBC in that deck of cards.

[Cold Heat]

Vanity Fair, can now be added to the list of liars..................................

They have been on the list from the start and are near the top.

[Grampa Dave]

They all do it.

What is it?

Lie for the rats to spread BS to damage GW and his administration.

Vanity Fair is no different than the NY Slimes, LA Slimes, Washington Compost, Atlanta Urinal and CNN.

Misquotes like this are as hit pieces.

[Grampa Dave]

Come on Coffee, kick in. This should have been:

Misquotes like this are used as hit pieces and our president and his administration.

[browardchad]

Iraq's supposed cache of WMD had never been the real casus belli. It was simply one of several reasons: "For propaganda reasons we settled on one issue, weapons of mass destruction, because it was the one reason the sheeple could be roused with.

I suppose this is an attempt at cleverness, but unfortunately for your theory, it turns out that the very real torture and oppression of the Iraqi people is the issue the "sheeple" were roused by....and it should have roused the liberals, who love to espouse "human rights" causes in theory, but it's obviously more important to smear Bush and the Pentagon "war mongers" in this case.

As far as the WMD, time will tell, although you've apparently already made up your mind. It must be disappointing for you to learn that Wolfowitz was misquoted, but hang in there, the liberal media will keep trying.