Vetting the fetid intel on Iran - or not

The MSM has slipped back into steno mode and is picking up where Michael Gordon left off in dishing out the latest fetid "intel" on the alleged Iranian IED connection. I've already posted a lot on this so I'll just send you to Greg Mitchell's summary of the latest White House press releases disguised as actual journalism. There are a few at least marginally skeptical accounts of the super secret press conference among the dross but most interesting was this revelation.

On his new site, Iraqslogger.com, Eason Jordan observed in response, that "one of the three supposedly unnamed US officials apparently has been outed by an Iraqi news service, Voices of Iraq, whose report on the Baghdad news conference identified one of the three speakers as Major General William Caldwell, whose portfolio includes public affairs and who holds frequent news conference and grants one-on-one interviews.

"So, if the VOI report identifying Caldwell is correct, why did every other news organization apparently agree to grant anonymity to the general who's the official spokesman of the US-led Multi-National Force in Iraq? Why would Caldwell insist on not having his name associated with these allegations today?

Why indeed? My plausible denialability theory is looking better all the time.