16 Minutes of Jonah
If you haven't been following the details of released hostage reporter Jill Carroll's last couple of days, including her video statements which--obviously said under duress and coercion--claimed opposition to Bush and said positive things about her captors, you're probably better for it. Some of the responses to her have been disgusting. And one who jumped in to question her was Jonah "Yeah Iraq War! But I ain't goin to fight" Goldberg.

Today at 4:52 he posted:

It now looks like she was coerced into making those statements -- though we still need to know a lot more. If that's the whole story, that's fine with me. I don't think anyone can fairly begrudge someone saying what they feel they must under such trying circumstances in order to survive. But, most of the lefty emailers -- and many bloggers -- took her initial statements at face value. I didn't. So far, it seems to me that I was right and they were wrong. I see no need to apologize.

Then at 5:08

I take Carroll at her word and hope nothing but the best for her. I'm sure it was a terrible ordeal and I think, barring some major revelation, this should put an end to the criticism of her. Leave her be. I'm sorry for suggesting that she might have believed what she said.

Of course, at 4:52 he already acknowledged that it looked like she was coerced but he saw no reason to apologize. Here is Carroll's statement.