[jriemer]

Here's a follow-up Letter from the Washington Times Editor:

To our readers,

The Washington Times yesterday published a letter to the editor, purportedly from Stephan M. Minikes, the U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe, which we now learn was a forgery. We have been so informed from the highest level at the State Department, and we accept as true that the ambassador was not the author of this letter. The letter was sent to us, via e-mail, on Sunday from what appears to be the ambassador's State Department e-mail address. On being informed by the State Department that the letter was a forgery, we immediately removed it from our Web site, and immediately notified the wire services, which had filed dispatches based on the letter, that the letter was a forgery. The standard procedure at The Times is to verify all letters to the editor; this procedure was not followed in this instance. We are reviewing our procedures and will make changes as necessary, and we are working with the State Department to track the letter to its origin. The Times regrets the embarrassment, which we fully share, to the ambassador and to the State Department.

====

Bases on a theory of PhiKapMom, someone's trying to show that all Presidents and media outlets lie and fabricate sources to justify their "actions". These recent events are someone's attempt to imply that previous bad behavior by others is excusible because "everybody does it".

Friends of Clinton scoured history to impune past Presidents of immorality when he was caught with his pants down. Now, the same set is working forward in time.

[Support Free Republic]

Hi Mom!

[jriemer]

Disinfo campaign follow-up *ping*

[mewzilla]

This could've been nipped in the bud if the paper had bothered to call the alleged author to verify he wrote the e-mail.

[breakem]

bttt

[Int]

Bases on a theory of PhiKapMom, someone's trying to show that all Presidents and media outlets lie and fabricate sources to justify their "actions".

The theory is not much of an excuse, considering the paper made a serious mistake by skipping a crucial step that all newspapers should do once they starting recieving letters from their leaders. The lesson for us all: watch out!

[Chad Fairbanks]

I bet Terrance J. Wilkinson sent it - he's been acting kind of shady lately...

[SpinyNorman]

Hey, if it were the NYTimes, they would have forged the letter themselves!! I think the Washington Times did the right thing, getting it quashed ASAP, and going after the sender big time. It also give them a segue into reports of this kind of liberal shenaniganism. It would be a nice lead in for yesterday's post on the strong arm tactics of Daschle in SD and how he owns the only newspaper in town.

[OldFriend]

Trouble is, everything in the letter is TRUE!!!

[Khurkris]

I smell James Carvile in this.

[talleyman]

Bump