WWF's 9/11-Tsunami Ad Approved From Get-Go

I've been running around today and blogging's been spotty. My ace commenter Dave at Dave's Notepad has forwarded me the updates on the WWF's 9/11-Tsunami Ad. It turns out there's a video version of the spot [Added: From Ed Dricoll, "Video Saved From The Memory Hole: The Pulled DDB-B/WWF 9/11 YouTube Clip"]:

The original ad was approved by WWF in December 2008. And yet: After initially denying paternity for the spot, DDB Brasil and the WWF issued a statement chalking it up to "inexperience of some professionals on both sides, and not bad faith or disrespect toward American suffering." The team also denies the video version was authorized in house. But that make no sense, as Allahpundit notes:

So some wily amateur video producer out there happened to stumble across a print ad that only ran once in South America and was so taken with it that he churned out a slick animated version on his own dime? Humor me for a moment and assume that this is, in fact, the handiwork of DDB. If so, exactly how many “inexperienced professionals” contributed to — and approved — the spot?

This story is so convoluted it's ridiculous.

The denials of responsibility are just as bad as the creation of the ad in the first place. And lefties couldn't get out of the blocks fast enough to decry the spot as a "fake." See, Mediabistro, "That WWF Ad: Yeah, It's Fake."

And this blogger takes the cake:

Yeah yeah, it's all planned, scripted and fully authorized, no matter what they say, and the USA never made it to the moon, controlled detonations brought down the buildings on 9/11, and the train bombers in the UK were just hapless patsies for the real villains. Oh and I did I mention Obama is Adolf Hitler in disguise?

Okay, how about a serious and earnest dissection of the scandal ...

Well you know what? I believe the WWF. I accept their denial. I believe what they're saying. I don't believe they'd be that silly, as an organization looking to raise funding in the United States and other countries. Especially running an ad like that in Israel, as if it wouldn't find its way back to the USA licketty splits. But then I believe Obama isn't a reincarnation of Adolf Hitler, so what would I know.

If I'm wrong, and the WWF were in on the deal - send me your hard evidence now - I'll recant and apologize to anyone who will listen.

Oh look? Where? There. Out the window. There's reality flying past, along with several pigs. Pity you missed it, quite a sight.

Well, reality's a bitch sometimes.

I'm tracking back to this blogger, and I'll update with the "recant and apology" when the pigs fly.

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UPDATE: Dorothy Parker, at The Loon Pond, has updated with an apology:

Since the intertubes is full to overflowing with error, I've deleted the erroneous post from this site. No need to keep perpetuating a myth. For anyone offended or mislead, apologies. Clearly the WWF Brasil and DDB Brasil are dummies.