I haven't been following the Scott Beauchamp - New Republic fabrication scandal before today - it seemed just a little too removed from my usual scope. Then I learned of the magazine's Canadian connection;
The New Republic is currently owned by my old friends and compatriots, the Asper family. Back when I toiled for the company in Canada, David Asper publicly told one of his own newspapers to "put up or shut up". He should have said the same months ago when The New Republic was bragging about its commitment to rigorous and open investigation of the matter. The magazine is unable to "put up", so it has shut up, and hopes that its silence will help the story die in the shadows. Beauchamp's 15 minutes are up. The issue now is the magazine's conduct, and the Aspers should recognize that and act accordingly.
I just love when poop finally gets flushed.
Posted by: John West at October 25, 2007 11:11 AMHugh Hewitt did some great shows on this controversy at the time, and they are probably in his archives.
Shades of Rathergate, with soldiers calling in to pick apart Beauchamp's claims about equipment, life on the base and even his terminology (tip: it isn't really called a "chow hall").
As I wrote at the time: even if everything Beauchamp wrote is true -- if making fun of a disabled woman and running over a dog are the worst things Beauchamp can come up with to damn the US Army, then all I can say is: God Bless America.
Posted by: Kathy Shaidle at October 25, 2007 11:16 AMI'm loving every minute of the idiots at The New Republic doing the weasel dance. Their intent was to discredit the US military and look who's on the receiving end of that now.
It's a mistake to think TNR got "suckered". Their newest fabulist gave them what they wanted for their lefty anti-military metanarrative. They simply got greedy and caught at it again.
Slowly, because I don't think journalists are the brightest bulbs on the porch, it's sinking into these people that in the age of the internet you just can't lie as easily as before.
There are few things in a combat zone that will get you dead more surely than seriously pissing off all your squaddies. It's not a matter of them fragging him or anything like that, just that he's got to watch his own back a hell of a lot harder and nobody can keep that up for long.
The "men to the right and left of me" line in the transcript is a BIG hint as to how Scottie "came to Jesus".
Posted by: mojo at October 25, 2007 3:36 PMMojo I'd want him to be scout lots.
God bless the Aspers. They want 80 million Manitoba/Canada taxdollars to build "them" a stadium and now this.
At one point Can West had given 200-300k to the liberal party. Mostly their dad but still.
Then there's other bit re them saying the military has told him to shut up when they didn't. That was on,.. Drudge?
Posted by: DrWright at October 25, 2007 3:44 PMQuick note for Canadians ... Scott Beauchamp pronounces his last name "Beecham". Make of that what you will. He is also a onetime creative writing major, a fact predicted (back when Beauchamp's scribblings were still appearing under the pseudonym of Scott Thomas) in this highly entertaining short essay by John Barnes:
The Scott Thomas affair at New Republic -- maybe a different take
Posted by: CJ at October 25, 2007 3:47 PMSuckered my ass. Last week the idiots at TNR put up a post by Peter Bergen claiming al Qaeda is winning the GWOT. Even bin laden has demurred from that preposterous claim.
Posted by: Terry Gain at October 25, 2007 10:04 PM