The New York Times has been Punk’d, or something like that, by the Yes Men, a contrarian organization dedicated to political pranks. Yesterday, they released a fake New York Times issue in which it was said that American troops had been withdrawn from Iraq and that Bush had been indicted.

AFP reports:

An elaborate spoof hit the streets of New York on Tuesday: a convincing fake of The New York Times announcing not just the withdrawal of troops from Iraq but a raft of other US liberal fantasies.

Bush is indicted, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice apologizes that the fuss about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction was invented, and Americans are finally getting national health insurance.

And that's just on the front page.

The only problem? The free, 14-page "special edition" newspaper -- and its equally realistic looking "New York Times" website -- are phoney.

Website www.gawker.com has identified the pranksters behind the stunt as The Yes men, a liberal group famous for practical jokes.

The newspaper was a vision of what Democratic Americans would love to see under Barack Obama after he takes power in January.

Other Yes Men pranks have included one on Exxon and one on Halliburton, and according to their website, “The Yes Men agree their way into the fortified compounds of commerce, ask questions, and then smuggle out the stories of their hijinks to provide a public glimpse at the behind-the-scenes world of business. In other words, the Yes Men are team players... but they play for the opposing team.” If you're wondering if the Yes Men are deliberately cryptic, the answer is a resounding "Yes."