Boston Globe wimps out

As I pointed out earlier, WorldNetDaily caught the Boston Globe running pornographic photos portraying US soldiers raping Iraqi women. Disturbingly, they were fake. Now WND is reporting the Globe’s lame retraction:

Editor's Note: A photograph on Page B2 yesterday did not meet Globe standards for publication. The photo portrayed Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner and activist Sadiki Kambon displaying graphic photographs that they claimed showed U.S. soldiers raping Iraqi women. Although the photograph was reduced in size between editions to obscure visibility of the images on display, at no time did the photograph meet Globe standards. Images contained in the photograph were overly graphic, and the purported abuse portrayed had not been authenticated. The Globe apologizes for publishing the photo.

Here is the Boston Herald’s analysis:

The ``lapse'' came after City Councilor Chuck Turner and perennial pot-stirrer Sadiki Kambon called a press conference in the wake of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal to display more purported abuse photos. Turner claimed they came from ``a very legitimate person'' but admitted they hadn't been authenticated. Kambon said he got them from a representative of the Nation of Islam. Neither Turner nor Kambon returned calls.

Glenn Reynolds also provides detail analysis of the Globe’s wimpy retraction.

I also found another skeptical web site that ended up agreeing the photos were fake. In fact they provide (WARNING: graphic content) a screen shot of IraqBabes.com that contain the same photo that can be found in the upper left corner of the photos displayed in the Boston Globe’s coverage. (WARNING: The web site mentions virus dangers for those who try to find these photos) They also admit the same photos were used at Albasrah.net:

Nine of the photos on the Albasrah site were taken from IraqBabes.com. Thanks to Chris for sending us a cached copy of the page so we could see for ourselves (even if we kind of wish we hadn't).

What is most disturbing about this story is the damage being done by the anti-American Albasrah.net with these fake photos. We have already had one American lose his head, because of the abuse scandal. The mainstream media and the partisan Democrats our damaging the standing of the United States by providing the anti-American bias on this issue. Instead of exposing the Arab propaganda, they are instead helping spread it. See Ted Kennedy's comments and John Kerry's use of this issue to raise campaign funds.