The return of Pong: The Beauchamp saga in the news (Updated)

Not by much trailing the Weekly Standard's announcement that Scott Beauchamp had recanted his "Shock Troops" claims, the New Republic weighed in with another statement at The Plank:

We've talked to military personnel directly involved in the events that Scott Thomas Beauchamp described, and they corroborated his account as detailed in our statement. When we called Army spokesman Major Steven F. Lamb and asked about an anonymously sourced allegation that Beauchamp had recanted his articles in a sworn statement, he told us, "I have no knowledge of that." He added, "If someone is speaking anonymously [to The Weekly Standard], they are on their own."
(TNR)

So, at least one of the publications will get egg on its face regarding its publishing standards--and possibly both! This back-and-forth is getting funny.

The announcement at the Plank doesn't refute the report from the Weekly Standard, of course. It simply tells us what we already knew--that the report wasn't yet official--and that Major Steven F. Lamb doesn't know the outcome (assuming he's telling the truth).

clipped from www.e-oss.net

Time will tell.

Update:
And maybe sooner rather than later (hat tip to Michelle Malkin)

This morning, military officials said their review is over. "The investigation is complete and the allegations from PVT Beauchamp are false," Maj. Steven Lamb, a spokesman for Multi National Division-Baghdad, says in an e-mail to On Deadline. "Anything that may or may not happen from his actions are personnel related and we don't share that publicly."
(USA Today)

To explain the obvious, which Michelle Malkin declined to do for understandable reasons, USA Today is claiming to have confirmation that Beauchamps claims were false from the same source that the New Republic is using to debunk claims their man Beauchamp peddled bunkum.

Refer up a few paragraphs to the graphic, and prepare for the next volley.