“We talked to one of the members of his unit to confirm the woman, a female contractor. We talked to a medic who'd served in Iraq to make sure that a woman could be in an FOB. We spent a lot of time with him on the phone asking hard questions.”

So let’s see – TNR talked to a member of Beauchamp’s unit, asked him a lot of “hard questions”, and emerged satisfied with its story. This state of satisfaction lasted right up until independent reports proved that the story of the disfigured woman at FOB Falcon was a fabrication.

Now, however, presumably the same sources have told Foer that the incident occurred in Kuwait and he’s once again satisfied. It would be interesting to know if the sources that TNR relied on for yesterday’s explanations started by saying the taunting happened in Baghdad or were saying Kuwait all along. This is a matter of no small importance – either they were lying last week or Foer was lying. Regardless, we’re all supposed to assume that everyone is telling the truth now.

Also, please note – Foer’s defense of TNR’s reporting of the skull incident relies on one soldier’s recollections. One can’t help but wonder if it’s the same soldier who was so certain about the disfigured woman being at FOB Falcon. We have no way of knowing; Again, Foer won’t release any names, and we’re just supposed to trust him.

Even at this late date, some useful and gullible dupes are willing to do just that, probably because it advances an anti-war narrative that they find to their liking. Let’s not forget, on islands off of Okinawa you can still find wizened soldiers clutching pictures of the Emperor in one hand and Dan Rather’s Texas Air National Guard memos in the other.

I’VE SAID FROM THE START of this matter that the real scandal here is TNR’s editorial decision to run reports from Baghdad that portrayed our soldiers as sociopaths without putting their alleged misdeeds into the proper context of the 160,000 men and women who are sacrificing so much to serve our country so honorably. The chase to prove the veracity of Beauchamp’s story was always a freak-side show to the real drama, which was TNR slandering the troops. Because I made this clear literally every time I posted on the matter or discussed it on the air, I could argue that I have no dog in the fight over the Beauchamp Diarist’s accuracy.

But one story has now clearly bled into the other. TNR’s willingness to stand by a reporter who fabricated a tale and the corroborating sources who confirmed that tale casts its ugly form of agenda journalism into an even harsher light. On July 17, Scott Beauchamp and his unnamed corroborators were insisting that the tale of the taunted woman happened on FOB Falcon. At some point in the last few days, they moved the tale to Kuwait. TNR now pronounces itself completely satisfied. Perhaps it’s my ancient legal training rearing its ugly head, but I would be reluctant to rely on witnesses who have doggedly, determinedly and demonstrably lied in previous testimony to prove my case. Franklin Foer & Co. apparently have no similar reluctance, perhaps sensing that the jury is composed of Matthew Yglesias-types who will be sympathetic regardless of their case’s merits.

Have the editors at TNR misplaced their critical reasoning faculties? I doubt it. I assume they figure the only way they can get out of this mess while holding on to their jobs is to stand by their story and hope there are enough Andrew Sullivans out there who will have their back regardless of how much their work is discredited. So far, so good. But not everyone will be satisfied with The New Republic’s standard of proof.

And even fewer people will be satisfied with TNR’s transparently craven agendas. First, the youngsters in charge of The New Republic ran a piece which confirmed every story they ever heard of war from “Platoon” or “Apocalypse Now”. Then, they either fibbed about their investigation into those stories or credulously bought reassurances regarding their accuracy. Yesterday, they continued this pattern.

And to what ends? To smear the troops, just as their illustrious anti-war predecessors did during the Vietnam days.

UPDATE: Matt Sanchez reports from FOB Falcon:

After a thorough investigation that lasted nearly a week the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division has concluded that the allegations made by Private Thomas Scott Beauchamp, the "Baghdad Diarist", have been

"refuted by members of his platoon and proven to be false"

The official investigation the 4th IBCT Public Affairs Office qualified as "thorough and professional" concluded late August 1st. Officials would not speculate on the possibility of further action against Private Beauchamp, nor would they confirm his current whereabouts or status,

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