A retreat in the face of the facts would betray weakness

The wingers ordered the crow, but now they don't want to eat it. Just as girl-journalist Michelle Malkin was going to go to Iraq herself and break the case of the faked policeman wide open, this come down the line:

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Interior Ministry acknowledged Thursday that an Iraqi police officer whose existence had been denied by the Iraqis and the U.S. military is in fact an active member of the force, and said he now faces arrest for speaking to the media.

The captain, whose full name is Jamil Gholaiem Hussein, was one of the sources for an AP story in late November about the burning and shooting of six people during a sectarian attack at a Sunni mosque.

Let the squirming begin!

Just to clarify, I’m not apologizing for anything. Also, I await response/reaction from my sources and will keep you updated. [Allahpundit]

I question the timing. [Confederate Yankee]

Phase II Begins [The Jawa Report]

I find it quite humorous that the left is giddy with glee as if this whole story is over with. The six Sunni's were indeed burned because this one police officer was found.....no other evidence needs to be produced for them. [Flopping Aces]

Another question that I’d like answered, now that the guy has been found: is he a “third way” Baathist holdover? [Patterico]

Nice. Jamil Hussein never existed. And if he did it wouldn't matter because he's probably a liar and a Saddam-lover. And just to show that I'm not falling down on the gloating, here are some freshly-picked nuts from LGF:

I fear I will never be satisfied. I would want someone to go talk to Jamil, and deliver him all the questions we would like answered, which are still many. So he delivers the AP 60+ stories which are largely not corroborated, which is illegal (but it happens anyway). But now if anyone would try to ask him a question about those 60 stories, well he just cant, cus that would be illegal! I think this still stinks. he may exist, but the questions remain. [Commenter Dr. Manhattan, LGF]

There's more than what meets the eye on this one.

/I wish I knew what it was [Commenter Greg in Seattle, LGF]

The AP could tell me what my phone number is and I still wouldn't believe it.
[commenter Tedzilla99, LGF]