Video: Boston Globe smears soldier as against Iraq War
posted at 3:40 pm on August 9, 2006 by Ian
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Last week Boston Globe reporter Brian MacQuarrie interviewed Sgt. Brian Fountaine, a soldier who lost both his legs in Iraq, and attempted to paint him as an angry soldier who is questioning the mission. Sgt. Fountaine appeared on The O’Reilly Factor last night to expose MacQuarrie for the smear merchant he is. Fountaine said he was unaware the Boston Globe was a liberal newspaper and wouldn’t have done the interview if he knew.
O’REILLY: You cooperated with your local newspaper, and you talked to Mr. MacQuarrie. You read the article. What say you about it?
FOUNTAINE: To be honest, you know, if I knew that they were a liberal newspaper in the first place, I wouldn’t even have talked to them.
But you know, I told them what I thought. And I think he just spun it way out of control. And he put it to his newspaper’s point of view, which I did not know was anti-war at the time.
O’REILLY: All right. Give me a specific about what you told him and how it didn’t play out in the newspaper.
FOUNTAINE: You know, I’m not really sure about the specifics. But just something off the top of my head, even the headlines. I mean, it just makes it sound like I’m against the war and I’m against everything that’s going on over there, which isn’t true.
O’REILLY: Yes. The headline says “Questions the Mission.” Do you question the mission in Iraq?
FOUNTAINE: Bill, every soldier questions his mission every time he gets it. But you know, we still pull through and we accomplish what we’re given. But you know, they make it sound like I’m, you know, out for the whole Army, questioning the whole job that we’re doing over there, which isn’t true. I’m just one soldier.
O’REILLY: Are you a war protester, would you say?
FOUNTAINE: I am definitely not a war protester.
O’REILLY: Do you believe your sacrifice was worth it in Iraq?
FOUNTAINE: If we can get this job done and we can pull through and accomplish what we need to accomplish, to make that country safe and democratic, well, then yes, I believe my sacrifice was worth it.
O’REILLY: Do you believe that America is a noble nation for trying to bring democracy to Iraq?
FOUNTAINE: Yes, I do.
O’REILLY: OK. Because none of that was apparent in the article.
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I saw the interview last night also, and I realized that while he was answering the reporters questions in a personal way the reporter and editors when they were done had made it appear that he was talking about the enitre mission in Iraq. He was having trouble getting across the point that he was talking about his little corner of the world.
When I was coming up through the ranks a very wise NCO told me that when the troops stop complaining you had better watch out. Truer words were never spoken.
LakeRuins on August 9, 2006 at 3:54 PM
The Boston Globe and The Massachusetts Legislation hates the military and those who serve. The well educated, financially fit people of Massachusetts see, hear and speak no evil. Illegal alien rights and give-aways, gay marriage, plenty of taxes, The Big Dig, Kennedy, Kerry and The People’s Socialist Republic of Cambridge. A Democratic haven and a blue state gone mad.
Hening on August 9, 2006 at 3:57 PM
Sgt. Fountaine is an American hero that was duped by a slick reporter with an agenda. He did not realize what was happening to him. What was even worse Marvin Kalb defended the reporter by saying that he would not have written that way, but that each reporter brings his own ideas to a story. He should have said that each reporter brings his own bias to the reporting. The Globe should be ashamed of themselves for taking advantage of someone who has paid a huge price for his country.
d1carter on August 9, 2006 at 4:29 PM
The most telling statement of the entire video was this
This man lost his legs, and still believes that the mission is necasary, and that we should win the war. As far as the Liberals moral equivalancy goes, this man has more to say then Sheehan or the jersy girls. A true soldier and american.
Wyrd on August 9, 2006 at 4:36 PM
I saw this last night. What the leftists did in Mass do not surprise me.
zerodamage on August 9, 2006 at 4:39 PM
Awesome!
Kudos to the soldier, Brian!
noodlehead on August 9, 2006 at 4:40 PM
I can’t find the words to express What the HELL is wrong with the people in Mass., do they all smoke pot and have no will to live, is their spirit dead to allow these distorted truths lies published and do very little about it? At the cost of a young man’s honor? Apathy is criminal! Agreeing or disagreeing with war is not the point. This is about a newspaper who prints lies and the public not doing something to come to SGT. Brian Fountaine assistance, by holding liars accountable . I’m sorry for you SGT. that you live in a unsafe dangerous state of Mass., where citizens allow entertainment through use of a lions den….
mimi on August 9, 2006 at 5:48 PM
Marvin Kalb’s condescension of Sgt. Fountaine was equally upsetting. I found it hard to believe that the Sgt. didn’t realize how anti-war the Globe is as he said that a number of times but maybe he’s from upstate and his family doesn’t read the Globe. That being said, the reporter should be strung up by his toes for his “reporting”. However, clowns like Kalb think this reporter is doing the right thing. However, I have to wonder about MA. Any place that continually sends Kennedy and Kerry back to DC is a place with “issues”.
Catie96706 on August 9, 2006 at 6:22 PM
Living here in Massachusetts I can honestly say I really don’t understand the people who continually vote for Kennedy, Kerry as well as the road block of a legislature we have.
I just have to say that I am glad the Globe has been losing its readership, even though it’s happening too slow for my taste :)
Laura02420 on August 9, 2006 at 7:17 PM
It’s too bad our rulers’ disposition has been to make “war” in such a way that raising questions as to the worth of soldiers’ sacrifices remains publicly defensible. After 9/11, if we had immediately set about using our armed forces to destroy enemy regimes, seize their resources, and unapologetically secure ourselves by every other available strategem, the worth of American sacrifices would be unassailable in America as a matter of public discussion.
Kralizec on August 9, 2006 at 7:33 PM
Catie96706: This America hero is very young, and I doubt he reads the newspapers very much, especially before he went to Iraq. When I went into the Corps about a million years ago, I know that I could not have told you what my local newspaper stood for politically.
Umnumzana on August 9, 2006 at 10:00 PM
Interesting that the soldier doesn’t claim he was mis-quoted, nor did O’Reilly really pose that question. O did ask him for specific examples of how what he said didn’t “play out” in the Globe interview. The soldier replied he wasn’t really sure about specifics.
Remember, RIF.
honora on August 10, 2006 at 2:23 PM
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