Jamil Hussein (Delegated) Update (Late PM: BizzyBlog Resumes Updates)

NOTE: This post was carried forward to the top because of updates late in the evening.

__________________________

The news relating to Jamil “Captain Tuttle” Hussein (last detailed previous BizzyBlog post is here) has been coming in faster than I can hope to report it, which is why I’m delegating the update to Karl at Protein Wisdom, who has the latest and greatest roundup.

__________________________

UPDATE: Gateway Pundit also has a great roundup, and some key questions.

UPDATE 2: Memeo has links to dozens of additional posts, if you are so inclined, including a link to the AP story about the threat to arrest good ol’ Jamil.

UPDATE 3: Michelle has a round-up that started yesterday afternoon and has been continually updated, including links to various posters the just-don’t-get-its who think that whether or not this guy exists is somehow the whole story won’t want to read.

UPDATE 4, 10:45 PM: There’s only so many hours in the day, people. Now that work, the employment post, and various personal items are out of the way — Eason Jordan offers a number of “dohs,” including the big enchiladas:

The AP erred in part by responding in a hot-headed, antagonistic way to questions about the existence of Jamil Hussein and the credibility of AP reports featuring comments from Captain Hussein. The AP’s harsh statements fueled the suspicions of critics and those who otherwise would give the AP the benefit of the doubt. Another mistake: the AP took too long to provide irrefutable evidence of Captain Hussein’s existence.

This doesn’t get fed unless AP does the complete-jerk routine, which it did. I mean really, AP. How hard can it be to prove the existence of a source for over 60 bleeping stories? If you think the answer is that you don’t owe readers/news users squat, I have news ….. you’re wrong.

….. Is Captain Hussein a reliable news source? While we now know he’s genuine, he was not an authorized spokesman. His critics, including his Iraqi government bosses and the U.S. military, have challenged the veracity of many of AP reports attributed to him. Many violent incidents reported by Captain Hussein via the AP were not reported by other western news organizations, raising suspicions about whether all those incidents occurred. The controversy likely will linger in this area, with third party reporting being done to determine the accuracy of Captain Hussein’s statements to the AP.

….. Since Jamil Hussein was willing to be quoted by the AP dozens of times, he should have come forward sooner to end the dispute about his existence.

In the end, the AP did the right thing — proving Jamil Hussein’s existence — but in the wrong time frame.

Nothing has been done to verify the accuracy of the dozens of uncorroborated Hussein stories. If those stories can’t be corroborated, what about AP’s conduct so far gives anyone comfort that they stand on their own? And what kind of fool or loon (see second meaning) believes that whether the guy exists is more important than whether or not “his” dozens of stories are true (because at least one is almost definitely NOT), and whether Jamil Hussein might be one of who knows how many others (named or anonymous) feeding false information to gullible people relayed to the rest of the world as if it’s the gospel truth by the world’s “leading” wire service?

Also, don’t forget the Ramadi “airstrike” that never happened, and that was only exposed when a soldier, apparently at some risk to his career, called out the BS that was reported in the LA Times. THIS is how the world should be learning about events in Iraq? I don’t think so.

People who read this blog with an open mind know that all I’ve ever wanted is the truth, and for whatever the truth is to be reported fairly and accurately. It should be perfectly obvious to anyone else interested in the truth that we’re not there yet.

UPDATE 5: Michelle points to a Patterico commenter who makes a pretty obvious but necessary point:

I also question the timing, since Malkin was OTW over and the attention level was about to increase. I seriously doubt we’ve heard all there is to know about this.

UPDATE 6: Oh, and let’s not forget that there’s an arrest warrant out for Mr. Hussein for talking to the press, which only designated people at the Ministry of Interior are allowed to do (this is, of course, standard operating procedure in any police department or military situation — if you think there’s anything sinister involved in a rule such as this, you’re admitting that you’re not operating in the realm of the real world).

Captain Ed (y’know, the guy who has so little credibility that he more than any other single person brought down the Liberal Canadian government; /sarcasm) says:

Why would they want to arrest him if he told the truth to the AP? Certainly crime is a matter of public record, and if his dozens of tips to the AP accurately describe real incidents, then they should have no real problem with his interaction with journalists. However, if he acted as a disseminator of disinformation for the purpose of undermining the Iraqi government and the American alliance, then they may have grounds for an arrest.

….. Whether Jamil Hussein actually exists is really a secondary issue. The fact that the AP used a single source for dozens of inflammatory stories about atrocities in Iraq that still have yet to find any confirmation is almost as disturbing as making the source up.

UPDATE 7: Curt is wondering why we haven’t, like, I don’t know, actually SEEN this guy yet. Oh hallowed AP (bowing), is it too impolite to ask such a brash question?

UPDATE 8: Is there anyone more clueless than Kathleen Carroll of AP? She came out with this howler today:

Associated Press Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll on Friday criticized those who questioned the existence of an AP Iraq source, who was proven this week to be real, saying the scrutiny has now endangered the man’s life.

Charles at LGF points out the painfully obvious:

The Associated Press has quoted “Iraqi police Capt. Jamil Hussein” by name in more than 60 articles published on web sites and in newspapers around the world, identifying where he works and his title. But bloggers have put him in danger?

UPDATE 9: Confederate Yankee busts up a whole bunch of Jamil’s single-sources claims.

UPDATE 10: Patterico, as usual, is priceless:

Saying that “Jamil Hussein exists” ends the story is like saying there is nothing to Rathergate because Bill Burkett existed.

Usually, the fact that a media outlet actually has a source is not cause for rejoicing. Usually, the source is expected to be accurate and reliable.

Not here. For the lefty bloggers, existence ends the inquiry. Or so they hope.

Is this controversy RIP? Doubtful — VERY doubtful.

UPDATE 11, Jan. 6: As if to prove the Update 10 point, here’s more from Curt –

1. Media reports about Jamil didn’t use his name as he is known at work so we had trouble finding him (Jamil Gulaim as opposed to Jamil Hussein: the initial query we got from MNFI was for “Jamil Hussein”).

2. The real issue is this: Jamil works in Al Khadra (think of Staten Island) — he’s telling the media about Al Hurriah murders (Think of Queens — it’s a different area of the city).

….. Additionally, this may very well be the same guy that the MoI had believed was the Jamil Hussein we were looking for last week but he denied that he was ever a source for the AP….

….. So hold your horses everyone.

Good advice. I’ve got to stop this post, because it’s too long already. I’ll have more when the new info reaches a reportable mass. Based on other commitments, there’s a very good chance I’ll need to “delegate” again as I did at the beginning of this post, perhaps for an extended time.

UPDATE 12, Jan. 6: Yeah, I know — But Patterico just took apart Media Matters (HT Instapundit, whose comment is “Dog Bites Man”) and its demands for apologies that aren’t due. This is very useful because it is now redundant and a waste of time to move down the ignoramus food chain (and there are so many, one wouldn’t know where to start).