Disgusting Spin

We know about the Afghanistan bombing by the U.S. which killed 9 Afghan kids (the story remarkably disappeared from ABCNews.com's front page since then as of this posting). Earlier in the day, the military pulled this gut-wrenching gambit to try to save face:

Afghans understand deaths - U.S.

(CNN) --Afghan villagers are "understanding" but "not happy" following the apparent deaths of nine children in an American airstrike, a U.S. military spokesman has said.

The children and a man were found dead in the central Afghanistan village of Hutala after the A-10 airstrike intended for a suspected Taliban terrorist, Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty said Sunday.

Hilferty, based at Bagram Air Base north of the capital Kabul, said the villagers in Hutala were calm as they participated in "several long talks" with military officials and representatives from the provincial governor's office.

"They're pretty understanding," said Hilferty, who was among the U.S. officials who traveled to the village, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southwest of Kabul. American military representatives later attended an outdoor service at a mosque for the children who died.

"They've been through years of war. They're not happy, but I think it meant a great deal to them that my commander, Gen. [Lloyd] Austin, came out and personally expressed his condolences."

That was at 11:30 ET this morning. The news has shifted a little since then:

Anger in Afghan village where American warplane killed playing children

The United Nations called for an investigation. And the Afghan government urged the U.S.-led coalition hunting Taliban and al-Qaida fighters to make sure such an accident is never repeated.

In Hutala on Sunday, a line of fresh graves marked the tragedy, and village men stood quietly by a stream in a dusty field where the children had been playing. They seemed as bewildered as they were angry.

"First they fire their rockets. Then they say it was a mistake," Haji Amir Mohammed told The Associated Press, as dozens of American soldiers sent to investigate the incident offered condolences or lay in the warming winter sun. "How can we forgive them?"

You can forgive us because...um...let's see...we're so honest? After all, we DID say you guys were "pretty understanding" this morning over accidentally killing nine of your kids.

This looks JUST great. JUST frickin' great.