“There Are Some Unverified Spokesmen Around, Including . . . ME??”
So a press conference was held to announce that Jamil Hussein is not an employee of the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior.
The press conference was given by Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, who is the spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior.
And whose name had been on a CENTCOM working blacklist of “unverified sources.” (The military has since verified his status; his inclusion on the working list was a mistake.)
If CENTCOM had the name of the official spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior on its working blacklist — and, as Allah points out, garbled his name in e-mails about the press conference — what does that say about the military’s claims regarding Jamil Hussein?
This does not inspire confidence.
It inspires confidence that they’re doing a thorough check of every source cited by the AP. It may have been hasty to release that provisional list, though.
Comment by See-Dubya — 11/30/2006 @ 8:33 pm
“It’s dangerous when we allow questions of fact to become questions of power.”
– algore
Comment by Neville Chamberlain — 11/30/2006 @ 8:46 pm
They’re learning this democracy game quick.
Comment by actus — 11/30/2006 @ 10:22 pm
It doesn’t say much about CENTCOM, but the fact is that the Iraqi Ministry of Information confirmed that Jamil Hussein is not an Iraqi official. The ball is now in AP’s court. Saying that they’re “standing by their story” isn’t good enough. They need to produce Jamil and demonstrate his bona fides or retract their story.
Comment by Charles Bird — 11/30/2006 @ 10:33 pm
Actually I think the ball is in Cencom’s court. They need to go to that police station and interview every Captain there. Ask for Jamil by name see if anyone replies. No Jamil…big problems for AP. If there is a Jamil…well Centcom will deserve all the criticism it gets. But at least the rest of us will know.
Comment by corvan — 11/30/2006 @ 10:55 pm
Where are the bodies? Where are the destroyed mosques?
I hope in asking these questions, some well meaning person doesn’t go and burn up some fresh people and destroy some un-damaged mosques.
Comment by Davod — 12/1/2006 @ 2:02 am
PS: I should have said:
I hope that in “In response to these questions,” some well meaning person doesn’t go and burn up some fresh people and destroy some un-damaged mosques.
Comment by Davod — 12/1/2006 @ 2:05 am
You expect a “working list” to get changed as the people named get their status verified.
Releasing a working list is a bad idea, however, given the nature of the media.
Comment by larry — 12/1/2006 @ 10:03 am
Via Malkin yesaterday - the spokesman for MOI checked out -
8pm Eastern update. Allah has a question about the MOI spokesman. I asked MNF-I about Brig. Gen. Abdul Kareem Khalaf Al-Kenani last night and meant to post the response this morning. Here’s the response from Lt. Dean:
Ma’am:
We have verified him as legitimate. He is the official Minister of Interior spokesman through the CPATT. The list that includes him was a working list of spokespeople we are in the process of trying to verify that hadn’t been updated.
Vr,
LT Dean
Michael B. Dean
Lieutenant, U.S. Navy
MNC-I Joint Operations Center
Public Affairs Officer
Comment by Enlightened — 12/1/2006 @ 11:06 am
Maybe Sherman should have said “War is unverified hell.”
Comment by DRJ — 12/1/2006 @ 4:20 pm
Maybe Mr. Jamil Hussein and his buddies at the AP(Arab Propaganda) all went to the Columbia University School of journalism. They all seem ethics(less).
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/476271p-400637c.html
Comment by jihad_for_what — 12/1/2006 @ 4:30 pm