[Newspoetry] "Rolling Stone" Fumbles Newspoetry Attempt

[Mike Lehman]

Rolling Stone Retracts Clinton Quote 

    WASHINGTON (AP) - Rolling Stone now says President Clinton didn't
use offensive language to describe the military's ``don't ask, don't
tell'' policy for homosexuals.

    The misquote, printed in Rolling Stone's latest issue, lent humor to
the White House briefing Thursday when a reporter asked: ``When did the
president decide that `don't ask, don't tell' was a dumbass thing to
do?''

    White House press secretary Jake Siewert reassured reporters that
the president didn't use the unsavory language when discussing the
policy allowing gays to serve in uniform as long as they don't reveal
their sexual orientation.

    The Rolling Stone article based on interviews with Clinton by the
magazine's founder, Jann Wenner, quoted Clinton as saying: ``And it was
only then that I worked out with (former Joint Chiefs of Staff) Colin
Powell this dumbass `don't ask, don't tell' thing

    Robert Love, managing editor of Rolling Stone, said it was a typo.

    ``Due to a transcription error, the words ``don't ask'' were printed
as ``dumb ass'' in our interview with President Clinton. We regret the
error,'' Love said in a statement.