Journalistic integrity out the whazzooo

You may remember that e-mail that I posted about from a reporter in Iraq, and the fact that, well, stated that things weren't, like, going so well. Well according to Laura Rozen at War and Piece, Farnaz Fassihi will be leaving Iraq and won't be writing anything about it until after the elections.

Christie forwarded Steiger's response by e-mail: "Ms. Fassihi is coming out of Iraq shortly on a long planned vacation. That vacation was planned to, and will, extend past the election."

A follow-up question seemed in order and was sent to Steiger, through Christie, by e-mail: "If this correspondent wishes to write about Iraq for the Wall Street Journal, is she free to do so?"

Steiger's reply, via his spokesman, was this: "She is going on a long-scheduled vacation outside Iraq and has no plans to work during that time."

Fair-minded readers can make of that what they will.

In this not so fair minded assesment, this coincidence does not pass the smell test. It is possible that I am wrong, but as James Wolcott said recently, "THE SUREST WAY TO BE PROVEN WRONG IS TO GIVE GEORGE BUSH THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT." and that would include his sub-ordinates, like the editors of the Wall Street Journal.