The New Republic , liberals..

Winter Soldier Syndrome

It only be cured when the costs of slandering the troops outweigh the benefits.

By Michelle Malkin

The tale of Army Private Scott Thomas Beauchamp, the discredited 鈥淏aghdad Diarist鈥?for the discredited New Republic magazine, is an old tale: Self-aggrandizing soldier recounts war atrocities. Media outlets disseminate soldier鈥檚 tales uncritically. Military folks smell a rat and poke holes in tales too good (or rather, bad) to be true. Soldier鈥檚 ideological sponsors blame the messengers for exposing anti-war fraud.

Beauchamp belongs in the same ward as John F. Kerry, the original infectious agent of the toxic American disease known as Winter Soldier Syndrome. The ward is filling up.

U.S. military investigators concluded this week that Beauchamp concocted allegations of troop misconduct in a series of essays for The New Republic. 鈥淭he investigation is complete and the allegations from PVT Beauchamp are false,鈥?Major Steven Lamb, a spokesman for Multi National Division-Baghdad, told USA Today. The New Republic is standing by Beauchamp鈥檚 work. But Michael Goldfarb, online editor and blogger at The Weekly Standard who first challenged Beauchamp鈥檚 writing, reported Monday that Beauchamp had 鈥渟igned a sworn statement admitting that all three articles he published in The New Republic were exaggerations and falsehoods 鈥?fabrications containing only 鈥榓 smidgen of truth,鈥?in the words of our source.鈥?br>

To illustrate the soul-deadening impact of war, Beauchamp had described sitting in a mess hall in Iraq mocking a female civilian contractor whose face had 鈥渕elted鈥?after an IED explosion. 鈥淚 love chicks that have been intimate 鈥?with IEDs,鈥?Pvt. Beauchamp claimed he said out loud in her earshot. 鈥淚t really turns me on 鈥?melted skin, missing limbs, plastic noses.鈥?Beauchamp recounted vividly: 鈥淢y friend was practically falling out of his chair laughing. The disfigured woman slammed her cup down and ran out of the chow hall.鈥?br>