The Long View by Pat Grimes: Column for the week of May 22, 2005

(Essayist Pat Grimes chose not to let his column The Long View be published by Heritage Newspapers because he would have lost the copyright to all of his writing. As a columnist, syndicated first by the Gardena Valley News, then later by the Ypsilanti Courier, Pat couldn't agree to the arrangement of the new Courier owners. Thus, The Long View does not appear in the Courier any more -- an incredibly short-sighted view on the part of Heritage Newspapers, as well as a choice disrespectful to a solid, insightful, local voice on issues ranging from family to international events.

I am pleased to publish, with Pat's imprimature, his May 22 column here. Maybe one day soon he'll have a blog of his own. We can hope.

The Long View by Pat Grimes

A smug, self-righteous Team Bush has delivered the most fascinating reactions to the now-discredited Newsweek story about US interrogators at Guantanamo Bay desecrating the Quran as a means of extracting information from detainees there. The recently published article stirred up angry anti-US demonstrations in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Muslim world, leading to 17 deaths.

Soon after, Newsweek retracted the allegations: “We regret that we got any part of our story wrong, and extend our sympathies to victims of the violence and to the U.S. soldiers caught in its midst,” wrote Editor Mark Whitaker.

Enter the Chorus Sanctimonious…

“This was a report based on a single anonymous source that could not substantiate the allegation that was made,” said presidential Press Secretary Scott McClellan. “The report has had serious consequences. People have lost their lives. Our image abroad has been damaged. It will take work to undo what can be undone.”

As official apologist for the Bush administration, Scott knows what he’s talking about. After all, unsubstantiated allegations on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction had some nasty consequences. Thousands of lives have been lost, our international image is toast, and very little can be undone.

McClellan also said Newsweek should set the record straight by “clearly explaining how they got it wrong, particularly to the Muslim world, and pointing out the policies and practices of our military.”

Perhaps you’ll give them a good example on how that’s done, Scott?

“Newsweek hid behind anonymous sources, which by their own admission do not withstand scrutiny,” stated Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman. “Unfortunately, they cannot retract the damage they have done to this nation or those that were viciously attacked by those false allegations.”

Who scrutinized those intelligence assessments on Iraqi WMD’s, Bryan? The same folks who’re keeping energy policy advisors anonymous? And how, pray tell, might we retract the damage from our mishandling of Iraq?

“It’s appalling that this story got out there,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice lamented. “Of course, 16 people died but it’s also done a lot of harm to America’s efforts to demonstrate tolerance and breed goodwill in the Muslim world.”

Just like our unwarranted invasion of a Muslim country, Maam? Now that’s appalling.

Our government officials have repeatedly demonstrated no utterance is too disingenuous if it serves them at the moment. Given the “Culture of Life” pro-death penalty hypocrites running the White House, we should not be surprised.