Misty Watercolor Memories, of the Fog of War

Iowahawk does Frank Foer

Anyhoo, "Shock Troops" bore the byline Scott Thomas, which we identified as a pseudonym for a soldier then serving in Iraq. Thomas described how war distorts moral judgments. To illustrate his point, he narrated three wacky anecdotes, In one, he and his comrades held down a burnt amputee at a chow hall and gave her a "Cleveland Steamer." In another, he and comrades held pinata parties using exhumed Iraqi infant corpses. A final vignette described US soldiers holding "Fast And Furious" tank-drifting races through Iraqi puppy kennels.

For anyone familiar with the gritty realities of the fog of war, or the fog-of-war-related experimental independent film series on HBO, there was nothing unusual or controversial in the Diarist's claims. Thus we were surprised when we learned that Goldfarb -- from the comfortable sinecure of his cushy Weekly Standard cubicle -- was actually calling to demand "proof" of this pseudonymous soldier's stories. Could the Weekly Standard actually stoop so low as insinuate our brave, tragic, dog-squishing troops are liars?