CENTCOM says AP’s "Iraqi police source" isn’t Iraqi police -- Part 23 -- Continued from this post.

Solvalogging: Jamil Hussein... Baghdad's Own Lieutenant Kije
Hatched by Dafydd

So John over at Power Line sez,

I assume that Associated Press reporters don't just make stuff up, and, when in doubt, attribute it to a fictitious character named Jamil Hussein.

Bah, humbug, sez I. I think that is exactly what they have done in this case!

In a 1927 short story by Yury Tynyanov, a Russian general is reading a report to Czar Paul I; the czar mishears a word and thinks the general is talking about a "Lieutenant Kije," who sounds like a brave and brilliant fellow. Czar Paul demands to hear more about him.

As it is death to contradict the czar, the general makes up several wonderful missions and adventures of the entirely fictitious Lieutenant Kije. Soon other commanders join in the fun; eventually, there is an entire cottage industry of Kije sightings, Kije adventures, and Kije romances. Lt. Kije eventually gets married -- and while the czar never seems to run into the fellow himself, the soldiers sure do enjoy all the vodka the czar supplies! ...

Can't guess where this is going, can you? Read the whole thing.

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Got an appointment to leave for but don't miss Sir, that’s not quite what I said.

*** Update and bump. Original timestamp 02:11

The AP (non-)responds and another search comes up empty
Michelle Malkin

Yesterday, I contacted the AP about the "Jamil Hussein"/Jamil Ghdaab Gulaim/Ghulaim findings and asked these simple questions:

Ref. http://michellemalkin.com/archives/006579.htm

1. Is Jamil Ghdaab Gulaim the real name of your oft-cited source, "Captain Jamil Hussein" aka " Jamil Gholaiem Hussein?"

2. If not, where is "Captain Jamil Hussein" currently working? If he is a Baghdad police officer, as AP asserts, why hasn't anyone -- not CPATT, not MOI, not Marc Danzinger's sources [nor Eason Jordan's] -- been able to locate him?

3. What is your response to the CPATT officers' report that Jamil Ghdaab Gulaim denies being AP's source?

Here is the response I received yesterday from AP media relations officer Linda Wagner:

Michelle-

I have no additional information for you at this time.

Linda

I also cc'ed my questions to AP exec editor Kathleen Carroll.

She did not respond.

In the meantime, ...

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Media Matters says it’s raining
Bruce Kesler

A Yiddish proverb says, don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining. That seems to be the weather report from Left bloggers – it’s just rain -- regarding the Associated Press’ refusal to produce its star source for 61 reports of violence in Baghdad, including the Shia immolation of six Sunnis who, also, no one can find, nor to produce any photos or other evidence.

Eric Boehlert of Media Matters, a left-wing self-described truth squad aimed at conservatives, has taken liberties with the truth and the gravity of the matter by using partial and out of context quotes from conservative bloggers to claim a conservative conspiracy to silence the press.

As Wikipedia sums up, Media Matters has some truth problems about its rainmakers:

On Dec. 1, 2004 Media Matters issued a statement saying that "neither Media Matters nor its president and CEO David Brock has received any money from [George] Soros or from any organization with which he is affiliated." Three months later, it revised this statement by acknowledging support from organizations and individuals aligned with or funded by Soros such as moveon.org, Peter Lewis and the New Democratic Network, but denying direct funding by Soros himself. ...

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Part 23 of a series. Part 24