[O]f the two witnesses on the record one was imaginary
and the other disavowed the story. Some residents actually
deny anything happened....
....Again, usually only the tip of the iceberg is visible.
How many media-promulgated propaganda pieces like this are
going uninvestigated? It's frightening.
The Incredible Vanishing Jamil
Dave Price
Dean's World
OK, I was going to leave this to other blogs, but Aziz's denial has me fired up now.
Michelle has a nice round-up of observations on the many, many unresolved problems with the AP's story (linked below).
As we said to Glenn Greenwald a while ago: if the guy is real, it would be very easy to answer all the critics by simply producing him.
The AP has issued yet another response that basically amounts to "We're the AP and we say it's true, therefore it must be true." They still reference no proof anything happened other than a single molotov thrown in a mosque, damaging a rug. I'm sure it was a very nice rug and will be sorely missed by worshippers' feet, but it's not the equivalent of four firebombed mosques and six Sunnis burned alive while Iraqi police/Army stood by and watched. There are no photos of anything but one burned mosque and some graffiti (which, laughably, the AP cites as evidence), and of the two witnesses on the record one was imaginary and the other disavowed the story. Some residents actually deny anything happened. Moreover, these is no wailing funeral procession of Sunnis, no charred bodies... hell, they can't even find a burned spot in the middle of the road.
Again, usually only the tip of the iceberg is visible. How many media-promulgated propaganda pieces like this are going uninvestigated? It's frightening.
floppingaces.net
patterico.com
digg.com
esr.ibiblio.org
I'm sure I don't need to point out the recruiting potential that false reports of atrocities like this generate for insurgents. If the press cared about freedom (or, heaven forbid, showed some patriotism in a time of war), they'd be ignoring enemy propaganda and instead of wasting our soldiers' time making them do the press' job for them, this morning's MOI press briefing would have produced a "pro-victory" headline:
<<< The third subject is, this week the strikes we made against the al-Qaeda terrorist organization in Baghdad were many and very strong in Baghdad. Before my arrival to this press conference, I was informed that one of the three who were just captured or detained is Mazer Al-Jubouri, aka the Baghdad Sniper, and his group. He admitted many things that are very important and very dangerous and our forces used this information about his network and conducted raids in the past 24 hours and detained 30 terrorists. >>>
Think we'll see that story at the top of the headlines, like the "burning Sunnis" story?
Or this?
mnf-iraq.com
Or this?
mnf-iraq.com
(Hey, if you do think so, send me an email. I've got a great deal for you involving a bridge in New York...)
UPDATE: This just gets worse and worse for the AP. The spokesperson who issued the follow-up saying she was "satisfied with AP's reporting," Kathleen Carroll, is the same person who claimed the Qana photographs could not have been staged.
This level of ineptitude is simply breathtaking. And scary.
deanesmay.com
michellemalkin.com
patterico.com
floppingaces2.blogspot.com
iraqnow.blogspot.com |
