[gavinlit]

"Seems to me the main difference between the military and other arms of government is that the military admits its mistakes"

In our country they're all pretty reluctant to admit mistakes - military or otherwise. They're usually pretty happy to admit something when there's no other choice but only once they've been pinned down or backed into a corner.

edit - and fiddling or fabricating a quote is not what I'd call a mistake. Closer to deliberate misrepresentation or (dare I say it) a lie. Getting caught out might be considered a mistake though.