Inventing a Quagmire

Opinion Journal - Best of the Web ^ | 08/11/03 | JAMES TARANTO

[Pokey78]

An article on Sunday about attacks on the American military in Iraq over the previous two days, attributed to military officials, included an erroneous account that quoted Pfc. Jose Belen of the First Armored Division. Private Belen, who is not a spokesman for the division, said that a homemade bomb exploded under a convoy on Saturday morning on the outskirts of Baghdad and killed two American soldiers and their interpreter. The American military's central command, which releases information on all American casualties in Iraq, said before the article was published that it could not confirm Private Belen's account. Later it said that no such attack had taken place and that no American soldiers were killed on Saturday.

[Old Sarge]

Geez, it sounds like something off of Timeswatch.

Not that I don't LOVE it, mind...

[driftless]

H. Clinton's charges of a vast right-wing conspiracy were of course a bunch of crapola. But there is an actual left-wing conspiracy. Everything that the Bush administration or conservatives do is met with derision and frequent hysterical viciousness by the combined forces of leftist politicians and their minions in the media and entertainment industry.

The fact is that conservatives have only recently begun to counter-attack with the same zeal as leftists. Ann Coulter, Mike Savage and a few others many go over the top, but they and a few others are among the few conservatives to realize that leftists are not "worthy opponents" but deadly threats to the continued viability of the free-enterprise, strong military U.S.

[freeangel]

Inventing Quagmire=IQ=absent at NYT

[Dog]

You need to see this..

[cake_crumb]

The news media frequently 'sexes up' it's sources by promoting privates to military officials, secretaries to government officials...whatever suits the sales pitch. It's been going on for years.

You will rarely hear that from the media, however. Not even from the NY Times, which admitted to it in writing.

[Timesink]

Schadenfreude

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

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This is the nascent Mainstream Media Shenanigans ping list. Please freepmail me to be added or dropped.
Please note this will likely become a high-volume list.
Also feel free to ping me if you come across a thread you would think worthy of the ping list. I can't catch them all!

[Timesink]

Thanks Dog!

[martin_fierro]

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.....

[vpintheak]

The cowardly low life scumbags at the times more than likely made this entire incident up. They just had to do this because someone in the military probably picked it up and was about to expose it. I can't stand these progressive pukes!

[Stultis]

leftists are not "worthy opponents" but deadly threats to the continued viability of the free-enterprise, strong military U.S.

Amazingly (and depressingly) that is understating the situation. They are a threat to the continued viability of liberal civilization generally, and to the preservation and expansion of human liberty generally.

[Stultis]

Repeated efforts by The Times to reach Private Belen this week have been unsuccessful.

They had his email addy and cell phone number written down a piece of paper, but the dog ate it.

[Helms]

CNN's Dr. Gupta today interviews boy with arms blow off during
US military operation- agenda behind the mask of compassion.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thank you for the ping, Dog. Thank you for posting this excerpt as a separate thread, Pokey. It is important. Much of the world newsmedia follows the lead of the NY Times. Our troops deserve better.

Consider that: The New York Times is acknowledging that it published a fabricated account of American casualties in Iraq. There's no reason to doubt the Times' contention that its source, as opposed to its reporter, was behind the original fabrication, but it seems fair, based on the paper's account, to say that the Times "sexed up" its reporting by promoting a single private to "military officials" (plural) and by failing to note Centcom's doubts, much less wait for confirmation before running with the story. (The original article is no longer available free on the Times Web site, but here's a later version that appeared in the Tri-Valley Herald of Pleasanton, Calif.)

Mega-nailing the NY Times for undermining our troops, hurting morale, spreading lies - exposed.....and needing more exposure.

8 Unapologetically Pro-Coalition News Links and Articles

[PhilDragoo]

We use our free New York Times to line the trash.

The NYT continues the tradition of CNN's Tailwind and No Gun Ri hoaxes.

Pentagon Denies Subcontracting Iraqi Hospital to Alien Doctors

A Jayson Blair/New York Times Exclusive

Part Seven of the Quagmire in Baghdad Series

[Calpernia]

Ping

[BOBTHENAILER]

A sniper then sprayed the Humvees with machine-gun fire, and one soldier was struck and wounded in the neck, Belen said.

Not common tactics for snipers to "spray a humvee with machine gun fire." Another inconvenient fact Belen is attributed to have said.

[an amused spectator]

They had his email addy and cell phone number written down a piece of paper, but the dog ate it.

Ah-hah! ;-)

[smoothsailing]

Snipers tend to be one shot guys.

[BOBTHENAILER]

Snipers tend to be one shot guys.

Exactly my point.