Posted by: McQ on Saturday, February 18, 2006 Apparently, if this video of the press conference is any indication, this is not accurate: Former US president Bill Clinton on Friday condemned the publication of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) caricatures by European newspapers and urged countries concerned to convict the publishers.But that is what is being reported in The Daily Times of Pakistan. In fact, if you listen to the press conference, at the point where Clinton discusses his disagreement with publishing the cartoons, the only time the word "convictions" is used is when he talks about not having a problem with people peacefully protesting based on their convictions. The BBC reports the quotes which are heard on the press conference video: "I strongly disagree with the creation and publication of cartoons that are considered blasphemous by the Muslims around the world," the AFP news agency quotes him as saying.Now the whole press conference isn't available, so the remote possibility exists that he did indeed make this statement. But I doubt it. I'm no Clinton fan, but I find it very difficult to believe he'd say what the Daily Times claims he said. But there it is, laying there, and sure to be picked up by other organs of the worldwide press, particularly those in Muslim countries. And we all know, even if a correction is issued, the damage is already done. Story on page 1, correction on page 14 — and few, if any, read corrections. But Muslims in Pakistan, and probably elsewhere will now be convinced that at least a percentage of the US believes that it is right and proper to prosecute and convict the publishers of cartoons they find offensive. This comes on the heels of a statement made by Donald Rumsfeld which, at the minimum, is ironic with it's timing. He certainly wasn't talking about the Daily Times in particular, but the war of ideas in general and how we need to do a better job combatting the pernicious lies which terrorist create and spread and which take on a life of their own: "We are fighting a battle where the survival of our free way of life is at stake and the center of gravity of that struggle is not simply on the battlefield overseas; it's a test of wills, and it will be won or lost with our publics, and with the publics of other nations," Rumsfeld said. "We'll need to do all we can to attract supporters to our efforts and to correct the lies that are being told, which so damage our country, and which are repeated and repeated and repeated. "Does anyone doubt that the particular meme started by the Daily Times won't, in fact, survive any correction and flourish within the "publics" of certain "other nations?" As an experiment, keep your eyes open over the next few weeks and see if you pick up on it elsewhere. If you do, drop us a note here and let us chronicle its growth. UPDATE: Well here's one carrying the story: World Net Daily |
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