The press makes much of the Sadr voting block in the Iraqi Parliament. Their muscle comes from Al Sadr’s Mahdi Army militia located in Sadr City. General Petraus surge is now pointed at this stronghold. According to Bill Roggio, 30 Iranians were among those killed in the fighting.

According to Michael Goldfarb of the Weekly Standard, military sources close to the investigation are saying that Pvt Scott Thomas Beauchamp’s stories were indeed fiction:

THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned from a military source close to the investigation that Pvt. Scott Thomas Beauchamp–author of the much-disputed “Shock Troops” article in the New Republic’s July 23 issue as well as two previous “Baghdad Diarist” columns–signed a sworn statement admitting that all three articles he published in the New Republic were exaggerations and falsehoods–fabrications containing only “a smidgen of truth,” in the words of our source.

Separately, we received this statement from Major Steven F. Lamb, the deputy Public Affairs Officer for Multi National Division-Baghdad:

An investigation has been completed and the allegations made by PVT Beauchamp were found to be false. His platoon and company were interviewed and no one could substantiate the claims.

According to the military source, Beauchamp’s recantation was volunteered on the first day of the military’s investigation. So as Beauchamp was in Iraq signing an affidavit denying the truth of his stories, the New Republic was publishing a statement from him on its website on July 26, in which Beauchamp said, “I’m willing to stand by the entirety of my articles for the New Republic using my real name.”

If this proves to be the final word on the matter-and it should-The New Republic’s early attempts at justification which included a “fake but accurate” statement from its own editor and its follow-up investigations that centered around “it could have happened” explanations by detached experts shows that the coverup is worse than the crime.

Few, if any, memebers of the media’s left came forward to support TNR. The silence was damning. Perhaps it was a perfect storm that couldn’t help but spawn a monster. A youthful, delusional ambitious soldier wanted to see the war through the prism of Viet Nam era movies, Platoon, Apocolypse Now and Full Metal Jacket found an inexperienced, idealistic editor only too happy to throw away journalistic principles to use a fictional narrative  to support a political agenda.

More from:

Michelle Malkin , Hugh Hewitt, Powerline and Rick Moran

Check-out Media Mythbusters Blog as well

It seemed I had just finished clicking “Publish” on the trusty WordPress that Joe McDonald has for me when, SHAZAM, Paul LoDuca is in the Mets’ lineup.

And Aaron Heliman is in the game (a really good thing, btw). And I still hate the way the Mets handle their roster.

And now that the Mets have decided to move up John Maine to pitch against the Braves instead of Brian Lawrence, will they please send him out for another position player. They could really use a bat-someone that doesn’t make an opposing manager snicker when he’s announced as a PH.

Charlie Samuels was the first to congradulate Tom Glavine at Wrigley Field tonight. I missed an interview with HotFoot, but what a moment. Bless him, his teammates, everyoneone in the clubhouse, and fans.

From Marty Nolble:

Paul Lo Duca said Friday, “I expect to play” when he spoke of the Mets’ Saturday afternoon game at Wrigley. Why, after being unable to talk his way into the lineup for four games, was he so optimistic?

“Because,” he said, “I told them I’m playing.”

Ramon Castro started on Saturday, and Randolph later dicated Lo Duca probably won’t play until Tuesday.

Look, Its admirable that Paul LoDuca wants to play and doesn’t want to be on the DL. But there’s a reason he hasn’t so far. he can’t. The training staff knows that there’s nothing worse than re-injuring a hamstring. Then its six weeks. If something happens to Castro during a game they are going to have to runb LoDuca out there. And what happens if something happens to him?

This is a continuation of the sort of roster lunacy that really chaps my ass. Randolph and Minaya are so preoccupied with having enough pitchers, that they will put players health at risk and even putting them in a position to sacrifice games. They have already done so in the July 28 game against Washington in which LoDuca got hurt.

There are 12 pitchers on the roster now. Brian Lawrence is slated to pitch game two against the Braves. Either Aaron Sele or Jorge Sosa can still make that start even though they pitched this weekend.

Perhaps something is wrong with Aaron Heilman who’s not pitched since Tuesday and its his arm they are protecting. I hope not as he more than any other arm in the Mets bullpen is the one who could use the time off.

At any rate, I just do not like the decisions the Mets are making with their roster. At the very least, LoDuca should have been disabled. He’s not played as it is in seven days and could use the extra eight to make sure his hammy is healed.

With the roster as it is today, in a close game, the Met bench will only have three healthy players they can use. As Randolph won’t use his back-up catcher and now its the injured LoDuca.

Yesterday there was no righthanded bat on the bench. In a PH situation it would have been lefty-hitting Marlon Anderson or David Newhan or a poor option is switch hitting Rueben Gotay.

This morning, Confederate Yankee posted a letter he recieved from Major Renee Russo, the Public Affairs Officer at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. A query was sent to Maj. Russo regarding TNR’s claim that Scott Beauchamp’s claim he and soldiers in his unit had mocked a woman who’s face had been disfigured by an IED. Beauchamp’s original story had changed in that he said the incident had happened at a Arifjan, a staging base, and not at Falcon. It seems the Army feels the story is still false. And as TCY indicates in his post, even though the US Army deems the story to be false and had told this to an editor of TNR, the magazine failed to publish this. 

I find former Marine, W. Thomas Smith’s posts in NRO’s The Tank terrific and hope you will as well.

Bill Kristol’s column in The Weekly Standard is aptly titled, “The Turn.” In it Kristoll affectively recreates a timeline of events-both of facts and perceptions-of July and so much changed about Iraq. Both there and here.

The biggest losers are those Democrats in Congress who had been saying the war was lost.

And, despite the mainstream media, reports of that progress should continue to seep into the American public’s consciousness. “This war is lost,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid stated without qualification a few months ago, adding that it required “blind hope, blind trust” to believe in progress of any sort. But Reid is now in the position of holding blindly to his embrace of defeat. He has to deny facts in order to sustain his bleak judgment.

On thing that Kristol did not mention in his excellent piece is the willingness of Reid and his allies in the medis such as Andrew Sullivan to deny facts. Most specifically their willingness to smear Genarl Petraus ahead of time in an attempt to discredit his testimony ahead of time. Maybe what Kristol has pointed out is that even they have lost the argument.

And this prompts another important question. Have we now realized a time where the left are going to be unable to sustain many of their arguments via the mainstream media? Even the New York Times could not suppress the reporting of their respected correspondant, John Burns who said things were going better than perceived. And they did publish the essay by two fellows of the liberal think tank at the Brookings Institute that concluded similarly.

The negativity of AP headlines and network soundbites could not over rule what was really going on in Iraq. This  same playbook lead to defeat in Viet Nam. Even a Walter Cronkite cannot go on national TV today and say the war cannot be won. Continuous attempts at historical re-write of post-Viet Nam by the John Kerry’s of the world are no longer taken seriously. The fact that it took only a month to turn the tide of perception in American to what is going on in Iraq is both stunning but instructive.

Is this the first time that America has so quickly changed its mind? No. And it wasn’t so long ago. This summers defeat of the Immigration Bill could not have been accomplished had it not been for the efforts of new media. Talk radio, bloggers, and the advances in availability of all publications online sank what was a terrible bill that never went through committee and we could not afford. In a matter of days, public support for the bill’s defeat overwhelmed its proponents.

Many Americans are relying on a different king of reporter. Independent reporters such as Michael Yon, Matt Sanchez, Bill Roggio, JD Johannes, and Michael Totten bring the story of Iraqi operations in their own blogs. Their work has clearly helped sway public opinion for many who have grown skeptical of old media. Old media will report of the Bagdad car bomb, but won’t report of the capture or killing of 40 Al Queda fighters in one of the city’s suburbs.

Kristol’s excellent piece reviewing July is another example that “these times they are a changin’.”

Michelle Malkin is right to refer to these young people as forgotten.

Still ignored. Still suffering. Still praying. Not that the world seems to care much, but there was a funeral in Seoul today for executed South Korean Christian missionary, Shim Sung-min, the second Korean hostage killed by the Taliban militants last month. Hundreds attended the service. Twenty-one South Korean Christians remain in captivity and under threat of execution

Many forget the barbary of the Taliban who imposed the harshest of Sharia laws on its people and gave haven to Al Queda when the left Sudan. One most never let the lines blur between the names of these groups or to let some former CIA know-it-all tell you they are not affilated somehow in some tortured nuance.

I love John Delcos’ blog that he does for The Journal News. He’s quick with his updates and tells us what he is thinking. This is great for Mets fans as John is is a beat writer who covers the club. An example of what I like about Delcos came today just a few minutes ago:

 

Lastings Milledge is not in the line-up today because of Carlos Zambrano. I understand that. The Mets will load their line-up with lefty hitters. I understand the theory, I really do.

I just think there are times when it is stupid. Zambrano gives all hitters trouble because he’s good. But, isn’t Milledge supposed to be good, too?

I know David Newhan has to play, but doesn’t Milledge have a better chance of making something happen? And, how is Milledge going to get better against such high caliber competition if he’s not put in them?

Just asking.

Delcos thinks like a fan here and its good blogging. His previous post dealt with Randolph’s line-up change:

There are times I don’t understand Willie Randolph. Today is one of them.

Willie is constantly saying he talks to his players all the time. Well, the original starting line-up had Moises Alou in left and Luis Castillo at second. The revised line-up has David Newhan in left and Ruben Gotay at second.

Just a day off he says, although both have their bumbs and bruises. If you know the temperature of your team then you don’t make a line-up and make changes just for a day off. Isn’t that done before hand? Especially when you said the day before you go by what you feel when you wake up.

That said, let’s move on to Paul Lo Duca. Today GM Omar Minaya said Mike DiFelice wouldn’t have been designated for assignment if Lo Duca couldn’t have played.  A half-hour earlier, Randolph said he wouldn’t rule out the DL on Lo Duca.

Pick a story, any story …. but stick with it.

Here’s where I depart from Delcos as I think it reveals his anti-Randolph bias. Many of the beat guys have it and it’s reflected in their reporting. Its far from unusual for a line-up to change after the club arrives. It was probably written and on the wall before some of those players arrived.

Delcos made a point in his blog two days ago when he pressed Randolph on why he didn’t play Lasstings Milledege in CF the day that Marlon Anderson had four hits plus a homer:

Last night was interesting. I got Willie alone after the game and tried to press him more on his decision to start Marlon Anderson over Lastings Milledge.

He got a little defensive. You can read more by clicking on to my story.

First off, Delcos was questioning Randolph after he had spoken to the press gaggle after the game. Then he may have pressed him in a way that was annoying. Maybe Delcos is just of the opinion that Milledge should be playing, but Randolph does not have to justify to the media every move he makes.

Many members of the media find Randolph hard to deal with and don’t liike him. They take his demeanor personally and it bears out in their reporting. Some-like Marty Noble and Adam Rubin- clearly do not. But the amount of beat guys who don’t care for Randolph have dominated the narrative. If you want eveidence just listen to post-game call-ins on WFAN.

Still, while I disagree with Delcos on this issue, I love what he’s doing with his blog. He wears his passion on his sleave and it provides first blogging.