Newsweek: Not so wrong after all, but we knew that

On Friday night the Pentagon quietly released a report confirming Koran desecration at Guatanamo Bay. The report confirmed five cases of “mishandling” the Koran, which didn’t include flushing the Koran down a toilet but did include splashing it with urine, kicking it, writing on it and soaking it with water.

Hmmmm. Sometimes it’s fun to look back at things. Like, remember when Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita said that there was “no credible evidence” to support allegations of Koran desecration? And remember when Scott McClelland said that Newsweek‘s retraction was “a good first step” but the magazine ought to do more, darn it? And how Donald Rumsfeld muttered darkly that we all had to “watch what we say and what we do?” Good times.

Now McClellan is calling it “a few isolated incidents by a few individuals.” The story was all but buried this weekend, released as it was after the evening newscasts on Friday and sparingly picked up over the weekend. So far, no word from McClellan on whether the report is “a good first step” for righting Gitmo wrongs. Yeah, we’re sure it’s coming.

White House Downplays Pentagon Quran Report [AP via WaPo]

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