Demagogue

The Newsweek Koran story debacle is appalling on so many levels. But I do find the administration's outrage kind of funny in light of its own decision to "fix" the intelligence to support the war in Iraq and its reliance on sources so credible they were given code names like "Curveball." I've edited as appropriate:

"It's puzzling. While [the administration] now acknowledges that they got the facts wrong, they refuse to retract the story," said presidential spokesman Scott McClellan. "I think there's a certain [governmental] standard that should be met. In this instance it was not.

"This was a report based on a single anonymous source that could not substantiate the allegation that was made," McClellan added. "The report has had serious consequences. People have lost their lives. The image of the United States abroad has been damaged. I just find it puzzling."

[snip]

In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the original story was "demonstrably false" and "irresponsible," and "had significant consequences that reverberated throughout Muslim communities around the world."

"[The President, the Vice President, the National Security Advisor, the Defense Secretary, and the Deputy Secretary of Defense] hid behind anonymous sources, which by their own admission do not withstand scrutiny," Whitman said.

"Unfortunately, they cannot retract the damage they have done to this nation or those [tens of thousands] that were viciously attacked [and killed on the basis of] those false allegations."

Actually, it's not really that funny.