August 20th, 2007 by lex
Pajamas Media deconstructs the latest TNR fiasco, painting us a more textured portrait of one Scott Thomas Beauchamp; infantry soldier, Baghdad “diarist,” sociopath:
(ex-Beauchamp financée) Priscilla reveals a recurring pattern: Beauchamp was repeatedly willing to deceive those close to him to reach his goals.
By age 23, he had been engaged three times to three different women whom he did not marry.
Or consider his relationship with the Army. Priscilla writes: “He hates the army. The only reason he joined was because he wanted to have more experience to write about.”
Oddly he was secretive about his intentions to serve his country. “He didn’t even tell his mom he joined in the army. One day before basic training he left a note on the table for her…”
It is telling that he did not talk to her face-to-face, but simply made his admission and vanished.
He is manipulative. “He is very charming and he can convince people very good and he tries to make his side very clear.”
He is ambitious. “He always wanted to become a writer and he has a huge imagination,” Pricilla writes, without irony.
In another email, she notes: “He always wanted to write for The New Republic and so he thought the ‘Iraqi Diary’ is a good start and he could keep writing for them after that.”
This explains how the TNR got fooled. Again. Doesn’t entirely explain why they allowed it to happen, or what they intend to do in the future to prevent moving further from a current events and politics periodical into the fiction category.
It isn’t entirely clear that the magazine understands what’s happened to its reputation.
Pity.
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