Lara Logan takes "leave of absence" after flawed 60 Minute Benghazi report.

Courtesy of the New York Times:

The CBS News correspondent Lara Logan and her producer, Max McClellan, made serious errors in an Oct. 27 report on the attack on the American compound in Benghazi, Libya, and will take leaves of absence, the network announced on Tuesday. Four Americans died in the Sept. 11, 2012, attack, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. 

The moves come after weeks of criticism directed at a “60 Minutes” report which was based on an interview with a hired security agent, Dylan Davies, whose comments to CBS News were later discredited. 

CBS did not specify the length of the leave of absence for its two staff members, nor whether they would continue to be paid. In general, television correspondents do not lose salary unless they are suspended. 

Beyond Ms. Logan, who has been a rising star at CBS News, the review could have implications for the leadership of Jeffrey Fager, the chairman of CBS News, who is also the executive producer of “60 Minutes.” Mr. Fager sent an email to the staff on Tuesday, saying: “As executive producer, I am responsible for what gets on the air. I pride myself in catching almost everything, but this deception got through and it shouldn’t have.” 

He added: “We are making adjustments at ’60 Minutes’ to reduce the chances of it happening again.”

I can see the Fox News coverage of this already, "Benghazi claims yet another victim."

Man you would think at this point even the Right Wing would avoid Benghazi at all cost.

You know if they had any journalistic integrity whatsoever.

Which of course they don't.

60 Minutes retracts Benghazi story, apologizes.

Courtesy of the New York Times:  

The correspondent for a disputed “60 Minutes'’ segment about the attack last year on the United States Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya, apologized on the air Friday morning. The reporter, Lara Logan, said it was a “mistake'’ to put on a security officer whose credibility has since been undermined by his diverging accounts of his actions that night. 

Ms. Logan said on “CBS This Morning'’ that the news division was misled by the officer, Dylan Davies, adding, “We will apologize to our viewers, and we will correct the record on our broadcast on Sunday night.” 

Mr. Davies appeared on the program, broadcast Oct. 27, and wrote a book about his experiences, "The Embassy House,” under the pseudonym Morgan Jones. 

On Friday afternoon, the publisher of “The Embassy House,” Threshold Editions, an imprint of Simon & Schuster that specializes in conservative nonfiction, said in a statement that it would stop selling the book. 

The apology by Ms. Logan followed the disclosure by The New York Times Thursday evening that Mr. Davies had provided the F.B.I. an account that contradicted the version of events he provided “60 Minutes.'’ On the show, and in the book, Mr. Davies presented a vivid, on-scene description of the attack, including his own role as a participant in the action. 

But Mr. Davies told the F.B.I. that he was not on the scene until the next morning, according to two senior government officials who were briefed on the investigation of the attack. That account, the officials said, is consistent with an incident report produced by the Blue Mountain security business, which had been hired to protect United States interests in Benghazi and which employed Mr. Davies.

Well hell, THAT'S good news!

CBS News may have followed the lead of Fox News, but at least they have enough integrity to retract a bad story and apologize for providing false information. 

Somehow I don't see that ever happening over at Fox.

Let's see the Republicans continue to make a mountain out of this Benghazi molehill now. At least one of them, Lindsay Graham, certainly shut his mouth in a hurry.

Palin-bot throws tantrum that his idol did not make Newsweek's "150 Women Who Shake the World" list.

From something called Opposing Views:

The current issue of Newsweek is dedicated to "150 Women Who Shake the World.' The usual suspects are on the list -- Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Nancy Pelosi, German Prime Minister Angela Merkel. Then there are several entertainers noted for their charity works -- Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Shakira, Meryl Streep.

There is one name noticeably absent -- Sarah Palin.

Agree or disagree with Palin's views, she is certainly a force in our national dialogue. The mere title of the piece warrants Palin's inclusion on the list. She can't open her mouth without the entire world "shaking." Everything she says or does is closely watched and reported by the media ad nauseam. If she is not earth-shaking, who is?

Okay here's the thing, up until this point Mark Berman and I are on the the same page.

I ABSOLUTELY believe that Sarah Palin should be on this list.

Of course I disagree with her, and obviously don't care for her very much, but I have to admit that she has an impact on politics and current events that really cannot be ignored.  While I agree that her influence is rapidly fading, it is clearly still powerful enough to have warranted inclusion on this list.

But then Berman did the unthinkable. He decided to attack those who WERE included instead of his beloved Sarah Palin. And since he was a Palin-bot he made the attack as ugly as possible.

Gabrielle Giffords? Her story is tragic and everyone wishes her a fully and speedy recovery, but with all due respect and not to be insensitive, she was just an anonymous Congresswoman before being shot. What did she really do to shake the world? The same could be said for CBS News reporter Lara Logan, who likely would not have made the list had she not been beaten in Egypt. (And raped.  Don't forget that this brave journalist was brutally raped and sexually assaulted by her attackers as well. Or were you afraid that letting your readers know that might make you look like an even bigger piece of shit?)

Oh..my..God!

Now for most thinking people nobody has to defend either Gabrielle Giffords or Lara Logan, but I am going to just in case there are some who actually believe that this idiot has a point.

Gabrielle Giffords was in her third term as a Democratic Congresswoman in the reddest of states, stood up to both Sarah Palin and a Teabagging opponent chosen specifically to defeat her. She was also gaining national attention as a possible candidate for an Arizona Senate seat even before the shooting.  While it is true that the attempted assassination made her name a household word, she was already "shaking" her part of the world even BEFORE Jared Loughner put a bullet in her head.

As for Lara Logan...Jesus, I cannot believe I even have to write this.

Lara Logan is a well respected journalist who has been embedded with the troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan virtually since the two wars first began.  She has reported on some of the harshest fighting in those war zones, and taken some of the most dangerous risks imaginable to bring the news of what it is like to be a soldier in those extreme environments to the people back home.

She also received quite a lot of attention when she criticized Michael Hastings Rolling Stone article because she felt it would keep commanders from providing access to reporters in the future.

I did not always agree with Logan's take on the two wars, but I certainly believe she earned her place on the Newsweek list of "150 Women Who Shake the World."

And you know THIS is exactly how you differentiate between somebody who is a regular commentator making a salient point about how Sarah Palin might have been treated unfairly, and a flying monkey.

The flying monkey seems to channel the darkness and venom that broils inside of the Grizzled Mama and to use it to attack and demonize her critics or those seen as possible competition.  A true Palin-bot cannot simply say "This is unfair!" They have to say "This is unfair, and THAT person does not deserve what my Queen cannot have!"

It is almost as if Sarah is some kind of Palin-poltergeist who invades the psyche's of her supporters and uses them as a vessel to launch an attack on those who dare to take what is hers, or who reveal something painfully true and purposefully hidden that she does not want others to see.

In fact sometimes her sycophants sound so eerily like her (Or her emotional doppelganger RAM) that if you close your eyes you simply cannot tell the difference.

Politically Palin is finished in my opinion, but her poison is still working its way through the veins of our national discourse, damaging the process and scarring innocent bystanders as it goes, and the sooner we figuratively cut off the serpents head the better for all of us.

Rabid Right Wing Islamaphobes were not the only people to treat Lara Logan's sexual assault with great insensitivity.

While still a complete indefensible jackass at least Nir Rosen had the presence of mind to apologize for his thoughtless tweets.  And of course since this has becoem public Rosen has been forced to resign as a fellow at NYU:

From Karen J. Greenberg, Executive Director, Center on Law and Security

Nir Rosen is always provocative, but he crossed the line yesterday with his comments about Lara Logan. I am deeply distressed by what he wrote about Ms. Logan and strongly denounce his comments. They were cruel and insensitive and completely unacceptable. Mr. Rosen tells me that he misunderstood the severity of the attack on her in Cairo. He has apologized, withdrawn his remarks, and submitted his resignation as a fellow, which I have accepted. However, this in no way compensates for the harm his comments have inflicted. We are all horrified by what happened to Ms. Logan, and our thoughts are with her during this difficult time.

I have to say I am completely repulsed by the responses of some of these people.  When I first heard of Lara Logan's attack I was immediately shocked and concerned about her condition.  I never once considered any ideological differences or possible pro-war stance in my emotional response to what had taken place.

And by the way, if this same thing were to happen to Debbi Schlussel, Michele Bachmann, or even Sarah Palin, my first instinct would be concern for their safety and a desire to see the people who victimized them brought to justice.  In my mind that is the ONLY response anybody should have to an incident like this.

What has happened to empathy and civility in this country?  When did we all begin to think that just because we disagree with a person's politics or point of view that it was acceptable that they come to some physical harm?

Almost unthinkable to believe this reaction to the brutal attack on Lara Logan came from a woman, or for that matter a human being.

In response to the news that CBS correspondent Lara Logan had been brutalized and suffered a "sustained sexual assault," Islamophobe extraordinaire Debbi Schlussel said the following:

So sad, too bad, Lara. No one told her to go there. She knew the risks. And she should have known what Islam is all about. Now she knows. Or so we’d hope. But in the case of the media vis-a-vis Islam, that’s a hope that’s generally unanswered.

This never happened to her or any other mainstream media reporter when Mubarak was allowed to treat his country of savages in the only way they can be controlled.

Now that’s all gone. How fitting that Lara Logan was “liberated” by Muslims in Liberation Square while she was gushing over the other part of the “liberation.”

Hope you’re enjoying the revolution, Lara! Alhamdilllullah [praise allah].

As you can imagine this sick and virtually unbelievable statement has received substantial coverage from many of us on the Left, including a segment tonight on the Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell. 

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In response to that blowback Ms. Schlussel has posted the following:

I’ve received many moronic insults and threats of violence from the left in the hours since I posted this, showing me more and more that there is very little difference between the left and the dominant, violent, fanatical forces in Islam. In fact, there’s really no difference at all. My favorite part of all of the responses is their common claim that the “real rapists” of the world are white males and American soldiers. Uh-uh, you keep telling yourself that, as you live here under the protection of American soldiers. Riiiight–It’s not Muslims who don’t respect women and treat them as baby factories, sex toys, and property. It’s America and the West. You keep tellin’ yourself that, morons.

Personally I would like to see some of these "threats of violence" that this horrible excuse for a human being cites.  Because while I have no doubt she is receiving many insulting and angry letters in response to her comments, I somehow doubt that anybody angry about Ms. Schlussel's insane response to the attack on Lara Logan would then turn around and threaten her with physical violence themselves. (It kind of reminds of all of those "threats" that Sarah Palin supposedly receives.) 

Speaking just for myself I certainly do NOT want Ms. Schlussel to suffer the same fate that befell Lara Logan, nor do I want her to suffer any harm whatsoever.  However I would really like it if she could perhaps visit a women's shelter and see for herself the emotional and physical devastation that is the result of a sexual assault.  And while she is at it perhaps she could do some fact checking and see for herself that yes the rape statistics within our own military are shockingly high as well.

Rape is a crime of aggression, not sex, and sadly it has been used by men to dominate and objectify women since the very beginning of time.  These men did NOT assault Lara Logan because they were Muslims. They did so because for some reason they allowed their most primitive and aggressive instincts to dictate their actions.

Those very same hateful actions are performed all across the world every day by Christians, and Jews, and Buddhists, and Hindus, and Sikhs. and Muslims who, for whatever reason, suddenly forget the laws laid down by their religions and allow the very impulses religion exists to control to be unleashed on somebody they perceive to be weak and less important than satisfying their own base desires.

Rachel Maddow continues to shine the light on how domestic terrorism is being used to further the cause of the pro-life movement.

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You know I am also against the taking of a human life.  I think if you asked almost every American they would say the same.

And I am especially protective of the life of a child, or infant.  And once again I am confident that most of us share that same impulse to protect those who are so small and defenseless from harm.  I would say it is a very human quality, but in fact there is evidence to suggest it is one that we share with many of this planet's creatures. It is a very primitive instinct to protect our young, and even to protect the offspring of others.

However it is only in the last few decades that a fetus, still completely unable to survive outside of its mother's body, has been considered to have the same right to life that those of us who have successfully emerged from the birth canal have enjoyed. And this relatively new concept is certainly not backed up by scientific evidence. Nope only emotion and the apparent belief that babies are planted directly into the mother's womb by the hand of God.

In fact some of these pro-life zealots are now advocating that since they believe a life begins at conception that even taking the "morning after" pill would constitute committing murder. 

Can you imagine?

They equate the termination of a small bundle of cells to be on par with killing a fully functioning human being.

Which made me reflect on today's horrible story of the brutal rape and beating inflicted on CBS News Correspondent Lara Logan by an out of control mob while she was covering the liberation of Egypt.  This brave young woman was brutalized by a group of animals for no other reason than the fact that they could.

As Ms. Logan is treated for her injuries, and provided counseling, one of the treatments she will be offered will be some version of the "morning after pill."  I doubt that too many among us would fault this woman for quickly taking that preventative measure and sparing herself the agony of finding that she was carrying the child of one of her attackers.  However if the rabid pro-life movement had their way, this option would no longer be available in the United States.

It is time that we started educating people concerning the difference between "potential" life and "actual" life.  Lara Logan, like many women who are raped each year, is a living breathing human being whose life, and quality of life, should be in her hands, and not something to be decided by those who believe that a potential life takes precedent over the life and emotional well being of its mother . Especially if that life was placed there through an act of degradation and violence.

Here is video of Lara Logan's interview with Barack Obama.

Good interview.

I like the way Obama keeps reminding the American people that we did not do what the Bush administration promised that we would do, which was to capture Bin Laden and put the Taliban out of business. And that the reason we failed to do so is because Bush and his cronies desperately wanted to go into Iraq.

In my opinion the voters cannot be reminded of that enough.

All Obama needs to add is that the Iraq war was based on a pack of lies and he could be a liberal blogger. Of course he would have to change his opinion on the FISA vote.

Lara Logan snags first Obama interview abroad.

Lara Logan, chief foreign affairs correspondent for CBS News, has landed the coveted first interview with Barack Obama while he’s abroad, according to sources familiar with the arrangements.

Logan is to interview Obama on Sunday in Afghanistan, where he landed Saturday and then visited U.S. troops in three locations.

Parts of the interview will be seen on “Face the Nation” if the conversation occurs in time, then on “Evening News” on Sunday, and “The Early Show” and the “CBS Evening News” on Monday.

Lara Logan is a favorite here at the Immoral Minority and I am beyond pleased that she scored this important interview. I hope that it will provide increased visibility for both herself and Barack Obama.

Sexy war correspondent Lara Logan is going to be a mom!

Now, having just moved to Washington with an expanded portfolio for the network, Logan finds her romantic life reduced to tabloid fodder. And there is a new complication: She recently discovered that she is pregnant.

"Nobody likes to read about themselves like that, especially the way it's been sensationalized," Logan says of the coverage that spread to the front page of the New York Post, which called her a "sexy CBS siren" and "in-bedded reporter." "I hated it. But I'm just going to rise above it and keep going." The baby is due in January, she says, and she is "looking forward to being a mom."

Logan, 37, says she and Burkett plan to get married eventually. Her divorce is slated to become final in two weeks, and Burkett's divorce trial is likely to end next month. But the case has turned decidedly messy, with Burkett's estranged wife Kimberly, the mother of their 3-year-old daughter, charging that Logan broke up her marriage.

Well I am happy for her. Apparently she was told that she could not get pregnant but Burkett's super sperm was undeterred. After having her name all over the blogs due to the steamier side of her life, it is nice that she has found both love and motherhood. So good for them!

I bet she will make a great mom, though I do pity the kid who complains about any difficulties they may face in life. It is not every kid whose mother faced enemy fire in perhaps the most dangerous place on earth for four years.

CNN correspondent Michael Ware is the other man in the Lara Logan, Joe Burkett love triangle.

Passions got so hot in the combat zone that one of her lovers, Joe Burkett, brawled in a Baghdad "safe house" with her other paramour, CNN war reporter Michael Ware, a source said.

A close pal of Logan, who confirmed the allegations to The Post, said Burkett's marriage to Kimberly was already finished six months before they sparked up a relationship.

"She is not the cause of their divorce," the friend told The Post yesterday.

"It was going to happen."

The pal also said Logan was particularly hurt by the comments because she had met Kimberly Burkett and thought the two were "friendly."

As for the other claims, pals admitted that Logan had a one-time fling with CNN reporter Ware - but denied that there was any sort of fight between him and Burkett in Baghdad.

Wow how does anybody get any reporting done with all of the bed hopping?

Well this story may in fact be blown way out of proportion.

The above sources claim that Lara is not a homewrecker, and I actually would like to believe them. She is just a unbelievably hot woman carbonating the hormones of all of the men who come in contact with her. How is that her fault?

I am going to have to side with Ms. Logan on this one. And not just because she is so hot.

Well maybe a little.

Lara Logan has been doing more then just reporting on Iraq. She has also been doing a US State Department contractor. Do I sound jealous?

The ENQUIRER has learned exclusively that CBS Evening News and 60 Minutes foreign correspondent, Lara Logan, has been named as the “other woman” in a Texas couple Joe and Kimberly Burkett's bitter divorce.

Burkett’s wife Kimberly, 32, was so distraught with his cheating that she took an overdose of Valium Kimberly Burkett's attorney Susie Chmielowiec told The ENQUIRER, “Kimberly believes Lara stole her husband – and now they’re trying to steal her little girl."

And in a twist that’s as shocking as any story Lara has covered, sources are charging she also had another affair, and her two lovers got into a brutal battle over her in Baghdad!

Sources charge that the Emmy winning Logan began her affair with 36-year-old U.S. State Department contractor, Burkett in war-torn Baghdad.

And yet another scandal brews in the steamy mix: Lara’s reported romance with a star CNN correspondent – whose jealousy exploded in a battle royal with Burkett in a Baghdad “safe house.”

“Not only is Lara having a torrid affair with a married man – she apparently has more than one lover!” Chmielowiec charged to The ENQUIRER.

Raise you hand if you are shocked by this revelation. Yeah I did not think so.

You know when I saw her walk out for her interview with Jon Stewart last week the first thing I thought was that she must be fending off male advances all damn day. The fact that she is succumbing to some of the attention is certainly not surprising.

I do feel bad about the wife, and especially for the little girl who is having her life torn apart by the randy impulses of her father.

But damn I don't think for an instant I would have fared any better if I were to find myself in the company of the lovely Ms. Logan. Of course as everyone already knows I am a man-whore.

Jon's guest last night was correspondent Lara Logan. I was riveted.

I am going to make a confession. For the first several minutes I was completely besotted with the pretty and barely heard what she was actually saying.

But then she started talking about American casualties and I realized that she was much more then just pretty, she was also a passionate advocate for getting the truth out about how dangerous it is in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I think I love her.