No Violations Found in Iraq Propaganda

The New York Times is reporting that an inquiry into the use of a public relations firm to pay for positive stories in Iraqi media did not violate military policy or US law.

Two things about this report are disturbing.

One, there is no specific mention of who conducted the inquiry. Did the Pentagon investigate itself again?

Two, a spokesman for the PR firm, the Lincoln Group, declined to comment on the report.

"Paige Craig, a Lincoln Group executive vice president, said by telephone on Tuesday that his organization had not been informed of the review's findings. He cited client confidentiality in declining to discuss the organization's contract with the military, its work and its payments."

Since when are contracts with the government subject to "client confidentiality"?