Hear Hear! I Declare The Newsweek Retraction May Not Be A Bad Thing!

[FinallyStartingToWin]

Ok, let me first say that it terrifies me the stranglehold they have on the media. I think it's deplorable what they are doing with the spin.

However, thinking about it logically, I really don't think it is going to truly benefit their cause. If they forced the retraction the day after the story ran, then ok. But they didn't. It took too long. It had already gained huge momentum. Most Muslims heard about the retraction earlier and said "we aren't buying that, the US is just trying to cover up their desecration!". Well, we know that to be true. Though common america and those slightly on the right are generally clueless about truth, there have been some signs of awakening lately (though there is far to go). I can't help feeling that this retraction will not help Commander Cuckoo Bananas, but will rather cause moderates to think "yeah right, that's bullshit, it's unreal how Cuckoo is bullying the press to retract it"


And then his ratings go down even more. Now granted, I know the right and the middle get confused easily at times, and in the past have shown much ignorance in believing the crap, but in this case the story is too hard for anyone of moderate intelligence to swallow. So in that case, I don't think it is necessarily such a bad thing it was retracted. I think it's one more way to help those in the slumber to wake up and say "WTF?? Who are they kidding?"

[clem_c_rock]

1. Unfortunately - I think the majority of the people are going to

buy the retraction explanation as they buy everything else such as the Osama Videos.

Remember - we're a nation of mostly rednecks.

[LynnTheDem]

3. The majority of Americans won't have a clue about the original story or

any retraction.

They'll never hear about it, and won't care.

We're newsnuts; most Americans are not.

[wicket]

5. Well said Lynn!

:kick:

[aldian159]

10. Hit the nail on the head, Lynn

The vast majority of people are more concerned with the three contestants on American Idol than anything that qualifies as real news.

[clem_c_rock]

11. exactly - the few the proud

[DearAbby]

2. Problem is that any reprisals or a major jump in the insurgents in Iraq

will be squarely placed upon this article...Bushiters will be off the hook...according to the CM. They have silenced another source, any and all descent will be squashed imediately. The propaganda machine will tow the line or else. They have their scapegoat.

[wtmusic]

4. The story is bullshit anyway

Flushed a Koran down a toilet??

Let's think about this logically for a second. Has anyone here ever tried to flush a book (and a big one at that) down a toilet?

#1 It wouldn't go
#2 If it did it would plug up the toilet, the toilet would overflow, and make a big mess that someone would have to clean up.

Now, I'm as convinced as the next guy that the DOD is a miserable bunch of liars, hypocrites, torturers, etc. I'm sure they do much worse at Gitmo. But flame me all you want--this one doesn't wash.

[Disturbed]

6. The flushing part was not accurate.

Somehow it got out that boks were flushed. In actuality they were placed in toilets and some peed on them. These reports are not new. The NW story got the attention is all. Now they are the scapegoat and the Bush Junta and their Lame Stream Media lackeys are jumping on it to discredit the truth. Most Amerikans may buy into the lies but Muslims all over the world know that the Bush Junta has been persecuting, abusing and torturing Muslim detainees.

[wtmusic]

9. that's why

IMO the OP is correct that this may be a good thing--by acknowledging parts of it weren't true, parts that were come to light.

[FinallyStartingToWin]

8. Nooooooo That's Not What They Mean!

The Pages were being ripped out of the Koran (Quran, Qu'ran) and being flushed

[blondeatlast]

15. Source?

Linkie, please?!

Thanks much.

[Kazak]

13. Gtimo's "toilets" DON'T flush...

Dig?

[MrMonk]

7. The entire incident smells

This is Rathergate, all over again.

1) A circulating story has the potential to damage the misrulers' plans.

2) However, there is no single credible source to vouch for the story.

3) A "credible source" offers a smoking gun to a "liberal" news publisher who ...

4) exposes the "gun" to the public.

5) The "credible source" backs off.

6) The news publisher is left holding the bag.

7) The credibility of the news publisher is damaged,as is

8) the credibility of anyone who tries to publish a similar story in the future.

[DoYouEverWonder]

14. Bush may think he has the American public snowed

but this is setting off a firestorm in the rest of the world. They ain't buying his bullshit and he's stepped in it big time. IT ABOUT THE TORTURE. Rove didn't need this crap right now.

[0rganism]

12. Disagree. This is 100% Bad Thing.

First, it ran without retraction long enough that the Muslim nations are never going to believe the revisions. And dozens of people are already dead because of it. This has poisoned Middle-east foreign policy for decades to come, regardless of who occupies the oval office.

Second, domestically, the public is likely to accept the retraction as a complete vindication of bushco, and associate the perceived weaknesses in this story with any reports of abuse coming from Guantanamo, Bucca, Abu Ghraib and any other prison camps our gov't is currently running. This is Rathergate all over again. Far from causing moderates to doubt the retraction, this will be an invitation to apply a blanket of "anti-American liberal traitor press" to any publication of critical articles. Any potential for a negative ratings effect has been effectively neutralized.

Third, as the administration has been quick to blame the aforementioned violence on the publication of the story rather than any substantive critique of the facts therein, this indicates an active crackdown on what little free press still remains. We will only see more and more enforced pro-administration bias in the years to come. "Loose lips sink ships" is going to seem like child's play compared to what we're poised to experience. 22% of those polled, according to E&P, support direct government censorship of the newsmedia. This is the number likely to grow as a result of Newsweek's retraction, not bushco's disapproval ratings.

May the events of the weeks to come prove me wrong.

[Melynn]

16. Sad to say, most Americans are probably in favor of flushing the Koran

Then these same Americans wonder why the people of the world hate us.