Writing in the Christian Science Monitor, one Mansoor Ijaz, attempts to skewer Mitt Romney for his answer to a question that Ijaz provides no evidence was ever asked:
I asked Mr. Romney whether he would consider including qualified Americans of the Islamic faith in his cabinet as advisers on national security matters, given his position that “jihadism” is the principal foreign policy threat facing America today. He answered, “…based on the numbers of American Muslims [as a percentage] in our population, I cannot see that a cabinet position would be justified. But of course, I would imagine that Muslims could serve at lower levels of my administration.”
A responsible journalist can not cite himself as as a sole source. The only evidence Ijaz presents to show that he asked this particular question of Governor Romney is his unsubtaniated, and unverifiable.
Even an old fart like Bob Novak practices the two source rule Evidently the CSM does adhere to journalist standards. Shocking isn’t it?
Further Edward Morrissey, Captain Quarters, identified Ijaz is a democrat fund raiser, a fact that Ijar did not see fit to disclose.
Yet the fact Ijaz attritubuted question is unsourced and his role as political operative undiclosed, by myself, did not stop leftards sites like Stink Progress and Chuckie from accusing Romney of bigotry.
Romney’s bigotry, or lack thereof, isn’t the question. The stupidity of the leftosphere for falling for an unsourced story is.
More, Memeorandum.
Tags: BitsBlog, BO, Democrat, Foreign Policy, Governor, islam, leftards, Mitt Romney, national security, Romney, Science, UN, WHAT biased press?
November 27th, 2007 at 17:19
Excellent work.
Although, I must say, but I don’t know as “unsourced” is the issue. Rather, I submit that this is more of the same kind of jumping at any story that tilts left, that I spoke of earlier today.
November 29th, 2007 at 10:42
11.28.07: Hugh Hewitt interviewed Mansoor Ijaz specifically on this matter, and repeatedly tried to get him to find some substantiation for his account, via eyewitnesses (or “ear-witnesses”), and Mansoor Ijaz couldn’t name any names. There’s nobody “on the record” who will substantiate Mansoor Ijaz’ account of this matter. I think this is very telling.
Mansoor Ijaz didn’t record his own question or Mr. Romney’s answer. In this day of video-, or voice-recording-capabilities on practically any cell phone and with cameras the size of your palm — it is a Sherlock Holmes’ “dog-that-didn’t-bark” epiphany-moment that somebody as politically connected. while yet self-serving, as Mansoor Ijaz didn’t record his “gotcha” moment. The reason patently is that it wasn’t a “gotcha” except in the (most very likely) fantasy-version of his Christian Science Monitor article.
Mansoor Ijaz has managed to promote Mansoor Ijaz, demote Mr. Romney, with the stroke of a pen (or keyboard). How convenient for this political operative. He has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Democrat causes in the last few years and is likely maneuvering himself into favored position in any prospective Democrat-regime, likely mirroring his prospective question for Mr. Romney (let’s think Joe Wilson here, Mr. Valerie Plame’s similar timely posturing for John Kerry’s campaign/and similarly campaigning for himself in any erstwhile prospective John Kerry administration).
I think we should hold as a standard a true “smoking gun” verifiable video version of such questions and answers before we lend any credence to Mansoor Ijaz (whose credence incidentally is further undercut by his consistent and elevated political contributions to the other side of the aisle).
This is an easy hit-job, via misinterpretation. I also think it is usually self-serving for Mansoor Ijaz, and his own political prospects. He spends a fair amount of time pushing those, seemingly, in his original CSM article
Romney answered questions about today’s report suggesting that he would not appoint Muslims to his Cabinet. ”
“No, that’s not what I said. His question was, Did I need to have a Muslim in my Cabinet in order to confront radical jihad, or would it be important to have a Muslim in my Cabinet?’ And I said no, I don’t think you need a Muslim in the Cabinet to take on radical jihad any more than we needed a Japanese American to understand the threat that was coming from Japan or something of that nature.”
Romney continued, “It’s something I rejected, number one. And number two, point out that haven’t given a lot of thought to the people I would have in my Cabinet. I don’t have boxes I check off in terms of ethnicity, and it’s not that I need a certain number of people representing ethnic groups. Instead, I would choose people based on their merits… I’m open to having people of any faith, ethnic group. But they would be selected based on their capacity and capabilities and what they could bring to the Administration, but I don’t choose people based on checking off a box.”
http://semper-fido.blogspot.co.....omney.html