Lieutenant Colonel Luke Fitzpatrick

A few weeks ago, it turned out that an Iraq veteran making atrocity stories wasn't what he seemed. Someone named Jesse MacBeth was claiming he was a secret squirrel Green Beret who was privy to all sorts of horrific stories. It turned out he was some loser who washed out of basic training after a month. Even though his celebrity was confined to a mention on the IVAW site, and a video at someplace called peacefilms.org, the wingnutosphere went apeshit. The story fit their media narrative perfectly, and though no one had ever heard of this guy, they have turned him into the next Ward Churchill. Let's see if the following story gets as much play:

Limbaugh admitted to airing call from phony liberal-bashing Lt. Col. in Iraq but continued to hold out hope officer was real

Summary: On his radio show, Rush Limbaugh admitted he had aired a phone call from a purported Air Force officer in Iraq who the military says "[d]oes not exist." The apparently phony officer, who Limbaugh said identified himself as "Lieutenant Colonel Luke Fitzpatrick" of the "336th Tactical Air Wing," delivered what Limbaugh described as a "profound" and "mov[ing]" message. But despite acknowledging that Pentagon officials and the Air Force told him they have no record of a "Luke Fitzpatrick" or a "336th Tactical Air Wing," Limbaugh nonetheless continued to float the possibility that the caller was in fact an officer in Iraq.

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