New Republic Editors 'Regret' Their Support of Iraq War

[Tellurian]

Ever since the New Republic broke with liberal orthodoxy by strongly supporting President Bush's war with Iraq, the magazine has been getting a steady stream of e-mails from readers demanding an apology.

...

News organizations that reported on the war and commentators who backed it have faced a similarly thorny dilemma since the failure to find illegal weapons in Iraq, along with the increasingly violent climate there. Were they wrong -- in which case they owe their readers an explanation -- or simply conveying what many officials and analysts believed at the time?

...

CNN commentator Tucker Carlson minced no words last week: "I am embarrassed that I supported the war in Iraq."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53812-2004Jun18.html

[Tellurian]

1. Tucker Carlson, eating his bow tie?

I can't believe it..

What will Novak do without his Umpalumpa?

[Robin Hood]

2. Tucker Carlson is embarrased? Wow!! Who gives a flying rat turd?

Ohhh he's embarrased. At least he is alive and has all his limbs. Which can't be said for thousands of American men and Women in Iraq, and tens of Thousands of Iraqi's. He's embarrased... Jeezus fucking Christ!!!

[Lucky Luciano]

5. While you are correct in your assertions,

you should at least allow for someone admitting to a fuck-up.

Afterall, Senator Byrd was in the KKK once - a big fuck-up, but he has repented his sins rather well if you ask me.

[Eric J in MN]

3. The part about Fred Barnes surprised me.

Executive Editor Fred Barnes, who visited Iraq in March, says he "came back more pessimistic than when I left. Winning the war was one thing, but winning a peaceful and democratic Iraq is a lot harder than we thought."

-------------------------

Fred Barnes seems so into spin, I'm surprised that he would let observation change his conclusion, even to a small exent.

[LittleApple81]

4. I saw the New Republic editor on C-Span this morning. Not amused.

and not impressed.

[gumby]

6. Agree

Can't say my impression of that guy in "polite" society.

[ClarkKent]

7. Lawrence Kaplan / Tucker Carlson

Last week Lawrence Kaplan, a New Republic writer, published "Springtime for Realism", a feeble attempt to defend TNR and other Iraq hawks whilst bashing the emerging realist consensus. As long as Kaplan and others continue to write for TNR, their apology isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

On a side note, is everyone aware that the aforementioned Tucker Carlson now has a show on PBS? Despite Carlson's previously-mentioned "embarrassment", let's not be fooled... this represents another right-wing tentacle gently but firmly slithering into yet another facet of the media. "What liberal media", indeed!

The Compassionate Conservatives

[librechik]

8. yeah, the better to eat John Kerry

on the record as pro war.

[fujiyama]

10. Isn't Kaplan a neocon?

I'm not sure if he was a signitorie to anything, but he claimed that unless Lieberman got the nomination, he would vote for Bush.

I really think that magazine has gone to hell, especially over the last two years. They're defense of the war was undefensible, as well as their pathetic endorsement of Lieberman.

[newyawker99]

13. Hi ClarkKent!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Elidor]

9. When they bemoan their pro-Likud viewpoint I'll take notice

Until then, they're permanently on my shit list.

[kodi]

11. regret what? they knew bush was lying but supported him anyway

they were attempting to leaverage influence with the gop by supporting bush and they sold their souls for nothing.

only now when it is obvious to a gopher that bush lied they "regret" their support to save face.

people need to realize that many so-called liberals supported bush and the war in iraq. many around here think that the sun shines out josh marshall's asshole, but he was a strong supporter of war in iraq, again, in an attempt to leaverage himself with the beltway power system. he bailed out too, but a lot of us have not forgotten the sound of his war drum, nor that for months he too parroted the bushevik party line.

this is NOT a case where "everyone" as wrong. tens of millions had no faith in the legitimacy of this war from before it began and did not believe it was necessary let alone justified by imaginary iraqi provocation.

[Sugarbleus]

12. Yep, backpeddaling at it's finest... n/t

[KoKo]

15. Agree, Kodi. Proper Credentials were issued for those "supporting" this

Invasion, for everything from political pundits, bloggers trying to get recognition for their budding careers. Those of us who
somehow could put the evidence together that there were no WMD and it was PNAC who orchestrated this for their own interest from the international newspapers on the web and went out and marched to stop this were not listened to as "credible." We were ignored.

These mea culpa's from the "Legitimate Media" are pathetic attempts to cover their butts.

And, I agree about Josh. I stopped reading him because of his support for the Invasion. I came back when he supported Joe Wilson, but I think anyone who believed this administration after what they have done to this country will always be suspect as a journalist. It will take alot of real reporting to ever redeem these folks in some quarters of America.

[UTUSN]

14. Too Little "Regret" and Not Enough "Shame" - BEINART = Wuss

(Re-post)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1823267

Beinart (New Republic) "Liberal" WUSS for Sure

He was on C-SPAN this A.M. shamelessly taking "credit" for TNR cover story, "WERE WE WRONG?" (not "We WERE Wrong") about the illegal and gratuitous Iraq attack. When the host asked him to answer his own question, he hedged that "we don't know yet" and went on to justify the Shrubbites by saying their noble goals might be "redeemed" even yet, that the problem has been the execution, all the things that "went wrong".

He also said, OUTRAGEOUSLY, that he can't project "what a second (Shrub) term might be like"-----------he CAN'T?? How come thousands of DUers here, without any access to inside, investigative information KNOW EXACTLY what an effing ANTI-DEMOCRACY GUTTING it will be???

*******QUOTE*******

amen1234 New Republic Editors 'Regret' Their Support of Iraq War (WP) http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&a...

legin 9. "We were wrong ... just very slightly"
would be a better title for this crap.

You'll notice the actual title is "We Were Wrong?".

That little question mark makes all the difference to what they are saying in the title.

Bastards ? (irony)

------------

bushwakker 10. Amazing isn't it

I'm just an avaerage citizen. I have no foreign policy credentials. I've never served as a diplomat. I don't have an advanced degree in Middle East or foreign studies from the Ivy Leagues or Georgetown. Hell, I've never even travelled to the middle east (or Europe for that matter). I have no "inside sources" in Capitol Hill or the WH or in the diplomatic community. How is it that a moron like me knew these fuckers were lying about Iraq and all these "smart" people got taken in? To paraphrse a Sy Hersh article in the New Yorker in regards to Chalabi's playing of the Us Gov't - "they got suckered because they wanted to get suckered". Screw TNR trying to cover their ass now.

********UNQUOTE*******

[Poiuyt]

16. So what

Talk is cheap. Until they start campaigning for Kerry, I know their regret is worthless.

[gratuitous]

17. "Broke with liberal orthodoxy" my sweet Aunt Fanny

It's called "having principles," not "liberal orthodoxy." If you think that peace and non-violence are principles worthy of your allegiance, you don't jettison them in the face of war's drumbeat. If you're cowed by the loud megaphone of the Mighty Republican Wurlitzer, so much so that you abandon what you know to be right to avoid being tagged by that same MRW as a "traitor" or an "appeaser," you didn't really believe in your core principles after all.

It's easy to maintain allegiance to an idea or a cause when there's no organized opposition. What do you do when there's a strong effort to dissuade you? Do you stand your ground for what you know in your heart to be right? Or do you cave in, and go along with the apparently prevailing sentiment?

Thanks, New Republic. Thanks a whole lot. While some of us were fighting a very lonely battle for the true principles of the nation, you folded like a piece of cheap lawn furniture and joined the chorus in favor of war. You knew you were being lied to, but something was more important to you to believe the lie than to stand on principle. And those of us who remained loyal were the more beleaguered because of your cowardice: "Why are you such an appeaser? Even The New Republic thinks invading Iraq is warranted!"

Well, it's the nature of liberalism and true Christianity to forgive seven times seventy times, so I'm glad to see you come to your senses, albeit a bit late and with a bit too much self-justification. Resolve today to stay loyal to what you know is right, and don't be buffaloed by the lies again.

[Jacobin]

18. ITS NOT A 'WAR' G-Damnit. It was an INVASION

and occupation of a country that had not attacked us.

Fer cryin out loud. Words DO have meaning. Their misuse is part of the daily propaganda we get.

Fork it all

[erpowers]

19. I'm Surprised

I did not think Tucker Carlson would admit that he was wrong. I think we liberals must give Carlson some credit for his apologly. For this he is going to take a beating from the likes of Coulter, Hannity, Inghram, and other conservatives. No matter how we feel about Carlson we must admit that he is a pretty courageous man to admit this at this time.

[Bridget Burke]

20. "we liberals" might wait until Carlson actually faces criticism

Let's see how he deals with it.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

21. If Carlson can, why not Kerry?

But, the DLC apologists will tell us that it's "too risky" or that Kerry doesn't really mean what he's saying.

I'm going to vote for Kerry but only because bush is so truly evil.