Wait A Second...

The White House and Defense Departments are up in arms today about a small item in Newsweek that has triggered rioting in Afghanistan and Pakistan (perhaps other 'Stans, as well?). The item involved the flushing of the Koran down the toilet or something to that effect (if only that was most objectionable thing happening at Guantanamo Bay). Newsweek has retracted the item, but the Administration wants more. I'm going to reprint a Pentagon spokesperson's comments from the New York Times:

In a statement on Sunday, Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said: "Newsweek hid behind anonymous sources, which by their own admission do not withstand scrutiny. Unfortunately, they cannot retract the damage they have done to this nation or those that were viciously attacked by those false allegations."

The original account, he said, was "demonstrably false" and "was irresponsible and had significant consequences that reverberated throughout Muslim communities around the world.''

I'm sorry, but are these people on drugs? They've got this incredible bug up their ass because an anonymous source furnished Newsweek with questionable information. Do they really not remember that they sold an entire war based on faulty intelligence? Try Googling "Curveball" if you too are afflicted with severe short-term memory loss.