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May 27, 2005

What a difference a week makes

You might recall some of the following comments, sparked by riots believed to be in response to a Newsweek story alleging desecration of the Koran at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.

MR. McCLELLAN: I mean, it's -- this report has had serious consequences. It has caused damage to the image of the United States abroad. It has -- people have lost their lives. It has certainly caused damage to the credibility of the media, as well, and Newsweek, itself. -5/16/05

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, it's what I talked about yesterday. This report, which Newsweek has now retracted and said was wrong, has had serious consequences. People did lose their lives. The image of the United States abroad has been damaged; there is lasting damage to our image because of this report. And we would encourage Newsweek to do all that they can to help repair the damage that has been done, particularly in the region.

And I think Newsweek can do that by talking about the way they got this wrong, and pointing out what the policies and practices of the United States military are when it comes to the handling of the Holy Koran. The military put in place policies and procedures to make sure that the Koran was handled -- or is handled with the utmost care and respect. And I think it would help to point that out, because some have taken this report -- those that are opposed to the United States -- some have taken this report and exploited it and used it to incite violence. -5/17/05

SEC. RUMSFELD: Just to step back for a second, I think it was Mark Twain who said that something that's not true can speed around the world three or four times in a matter of seconds, while truth is still trying to put their boots on. And people have said, my goodness, why does it take so long for someone to come back and with -- have the actual facts? Well, it takes a long time to be truthful, to be responsible. It takes a long time to review 25,000 documents, which is what they've had to do.

And the only other thing I'd say about it is, people lost their lives. People are dead. And that's unfortunate. And people need to be very careful about what they say, and just as people need to be careful about what they do. -5/17/05

On Friday night, Pentagon spokesman DiRita called NEWSWEEK to complain about the original PERISCOPE item. He said, "We pursue all credible allegations" of prisoner abuse, but insisted that the investigators had found none involving Qur'an desecration. DiRita sent NEWSWEEK a copy of rules issued to the guards (after the incidents mentioned by General Myers) to guarantee respect for Islamic worship. On Saturday, Isikoff spoke to his original source, the senior government official, who said that he clearly recalled reading investigative reports about mishandling the Qur'an, including a toilet incident. But the official, still speaking anonymously, could no longer be sure that these concerns had surfaced in the SouthCom report. Told of what the NEWSWEEK source said, DiRita exploded, "People are dead because of what this son of a bitch said. How could he be credible now?" -5/20/05

That was last week. Now this is this week.

Korans were 'mishandled' by US guards

An official inquiry has ruled that military guards were guilty of "mishandling" the Korans of Muslim prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

But it found "no credible evidence" to confirm a prisoner’s report that a Koran was flushed down a toilet.

Hardline Islamic groups were expected today to hold protest rallies in Pakistan over the alleged desecration, a day after President Musharraf demanded punishment for anyone found responsible.

US Brigadier General Jay Hood, who commands the detention centre in Cuba, said that of the 13 alleged incidents, five were substantiated. Four were by guards and one by an interrogator. Hood said the five cases "could be broadly defined as mishandling" of the holy book. -5/27/05

People could soon be dead because of what this son of a bitch Hood says. What kind of credibility will he have then? Right, DiRita?

Posted by Mike at May 27, 2005 09:56 AM

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