A FEW DAYS AGO I wrote a piece about some of the ridiculous questions foreign reporters have been asking Brigadier General Vincent Brooks at the daily CENTCOM briefings. I thought I got it all out of my system. I was wrong. On April 3, an Al Jazeera correspondent asked Brooks:

We’ve heard various reports throughout the day about coalition forces being about 10 to 20 kilometers on the outskirts of Baghdad, close to Saddam International Airport. Can you clarify that matter for us? And I’m sure you’re aware, sir, that the Iraqis contest your attestation that you’ve inflicted heavy damage on the Republican Guards in the past few days. I was wondering if and when you can show us videos, combat footage of that, proof of that?