[Dean's World] Dave Price: Fact And Fantasy In Iraq

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Posted by Dave Price:
Fact And Fantasy In Iraq 
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1169397785.shtml


   A wise man once said "This is the Internet, and we can fact-check your
   ass." Yes, even in Iraq, [1]as the intrepid Michelle Malkin proves
   today researching the claims of "Jamil Hussein" ([2]who is not,
   apparently, actually named Jamil Hussein).

     Well, Bryan Preston and I visited the area during our Iraq trip
     last week. Several mosques did, in fact, come under attack by Mahdi
     Army forces. But the "destroyed" mosques all still stand. [Mary
     Katharine Ham traced the evolution of the
     "destroyed-to-burned-to-torched" mosques/six burning Sunnis story
     here.] Iraqi and U.S. Army officials say that two of them received
     no fire damage whatsoever. Another, which we filmed, was abandoned
     and empty when it was attacked.
     WE obtained summary reports and photos (see below) filed at the
     time by Iraqi and U.S. Army troops on the scene. They contain no
     corroborating evidence of Hussein's claim that "Shiite militiamen
     grabbed six Sunnis as they left Friday worship services, doused
     them with kerosene and burned them alive near Iraqi soldiers who
     did not intervene."
     ...
     Contrary to Hussein and the AP's account, military reports note
     that Iraqi Army battalion members were on the scene - pursuing
     attackers, securing the area, calling the fire department,
     providing support and an outer cordon.

   The AP and its defenders have mostly fallen back on the "truthy"
   defense, erecting the risible strawman argument that war supporters
   are trying to deny that Iraq is a violent place where bad things are
   happening, but really this episode most resembles [3]the No Gun Ri
   controversy or the [4]claims of people resorting to cannibalism in the
   aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: lurid, irresponsible misreporting that
   sensationalizes a real tragedy to serve someone's agenda.

References

   1. http://michellemalkin.com/archives/006728.htm
   2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamil_Hussein
   3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Gun_Ri
   4. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46119