Feedback From Moran

I want to mention, here, that I got a nice note back from Rick Moran, regarding the open note I posted last night. I genuinely appreciated his taking the time, and his warm comments for BitsBlog. Apparently, he’s been catching some heat for his comments on the Beauchamp thing.
In the largest part, he seems to feel that the whole situation with Beauchamp has been overblown.

I responded to him that perhaps it is slightly overblown, but that over blowing it is the only way to get the mainstream media’s attention anymore.  It’s the only which they understand, having engaged in themselves for many years.

I also raised to him the issue of patterns, And it’s a point I should have mentioned in the original note, because I think it bears directly on the volume of screaming that the right-o-sphere has been doing on this topic.

Finally, allow me please to point out that while the back and forth is focusing on what you characterize as a “gaffe”, the real story here, and the reason behind the anger in everybody’s comments, is this is part of a pattern that we have been dealing with for some time now.  If this Beauchamp thing were singular in history, most of the people screaming loudly today, wouldn’t even bother taking notice.  Thing is, this is hardly the first time the press has lied to us, in general, and is certainly not the first time TNR, particularly has lied to us.  The backlash was bound to occur, the pressure has been building for some time.  This is as good an excuse as any, I think for it to finally occur.

I will leave the implications of the origin of that backlash to the reader.

Finally, as to Rick, I will repeat what I said to Billy this morning… that his writings usually have much to commend them.  He’s on my “regular read” list, and should be on yours as well.

Addendum: (David L)   Nice segway fellows  If Rick Moran provides feedback, Michelle Malkin provides collaboration:

The tale of Army Private Scott Thomas Beauchamp, the discredited “Baghdad Diarist” for the discredited New Republic magazine, is an old tale:

Self-aggrandizing soldier recounts war atrocities. Media outlets disseminate soldier’s tales uncritically. Military folks smell a rat and poke holes in tales too good (or rather, bad) to be true. Soldier’s ideological sponsors blame the messengers for exposing anti-war fraud.

Personally, I had been thinking of tying this in to Dan Rather’s fake but accurate meme, but Michelle takes is back to Jingis Khan.