As Newsweek magazine continues to reel from international criticism of its retraction of a story that the Quran had been desecrated at Guantanemo Bay, White House reporters jumped all over President Bush's press secretary at a briefing today. Here's a partial transcript:
Q With respect, who made you the editor of Newsweek? Do you think it's appropriate for you, at that podium, speaking with the authority of the President of the United States, to tell an American magazine what they should print?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not telling them. I'm saying that we would encourage them to help --
Q You're pressuring them.
MR. McCLELLAN: No, I'm saying that we would encourage them --
Q It's not pressure?
MR. McCLELLAN: Look, this report caused serious damage to the image of the United States abroad. And Newsweek has said that they got it wrong. I think Newsweek recognizes the responsibility they have. We appreciate the step that they took by retracting the story. Now we would encourage them to move forward and do all that they can to help repair the damage that has been done by this report. And that's all I'm saying. But, no, you're absolutely right, it's not my position to get into telling people what they can and cannot report....
Q Are you asking them to write a story about how great the American military is; is that what you're saying here?
MR. McCLELLAN: Elisabeth, let me finish my sentence. Our military --
Q You've already said what you're -- I know what -- how it ends.
MR. McCLELLAN: No, I'm coming to your question, and you're not letting me have a chance to respond. But our military goes out of their way to handle the Koran with care and respect. There are policies and practices that are in place. This report was wrong. Newsweek, itself, stated that it was wrong. And so now I think it's incumbent and -- incumbent upon Newsweek to do their part to help repair the damage. And they can do that through ways that they see best, but one way that would be good would be to point out what the policies and practices are in that part of the world, because it's in that region where this report has been exploited and used to cause lasting damage to the image of the United States of America. It has had serious consequences. And so that's all I'm saying, is that we would encourage them to take steps to help repair the damage. And I think that they recognize the importance of doing that. That's all I'm saying.
From here it looks like the White House is not interfering with the free press: it's the free press interfering with American foreign policy! Fifteen people who had nothing to do with this false (and retracted) story from Newsweek lost their lives and dozens more were injured. Now the diplomats have to clean up Newsweek's mess. What a waste of resources.
And all because Newsweek didn't do their homework. They didn't get corroboration from THREE SOURCES. If they had, there wouldn't have been an issue. It would have been another case of prisoner abuse and utter disrespect for Islam's most sacred text. But instead we are left with confusion over who did what and why. Again.
This is much worse than the CBS scandal; no one died from their attempts to discredit President Bush during the Presidential campaign.
Can't trust the government to tell the truth, can't trust the press either.
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