Any Answers? posted by Richard Seymour

Not a reference to the Radio 4 programme, but a genuine query for information to assist the American Leftist . He asks:

"So does anyone know what the deal was with Kimmitt fainting at the podium during a press briefing a week or so ago? Was it just stress or what?"



Indeed, it would be intriguing to learn exactly what brought on the General's sudden woozy slump into the microphone. On seeing it, I thought that it might have been a petit mal epileptic seizure, but the reports seem to rule that out:

The top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq appeared to briefly lose consciousness during a news conference Saturday, bumping his face into a podium microphone. He left the room for a period but returned smiling and answered more questions.

There was no immediate explanation for the apparent fainting spell suffered by Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the deputy head of operations in Iraq, who delivers daily briefings to Baghdad-based journalists alongside the top U.S. coalition spokesman Dan Senor.

Kimmitt had left the podium for a few minutes earlier in the press conference, which was broadcast live internationally. He returned, looking pale, to take more questions.

Just after answering a question, Kimmitt leaned toward Senor and whispered, "I gotta go."

Senor nodded and said, "OK," and then told reporters the next question would be the last.

As he listened to the question, Kimmitt's eyes rolled upward and he began leaning forward into the podium. The podium's small black microphone struck him on the right side of the mouth. After a few seconds leaning against the microphone, he slumped backward but remained standing.

Senor stepped toward him and said, "You all right?"

"No, I'm not," Kimmitt mumbled. Two aides approached the podium and led him out a side door.

Heart problem? Drugs? Stress of being the centre of loathing and fear in an occupied country? Answers in the comments boxes, please! (Of course, you could e-mail him at kimmit dot m at skynet dot be, and ask him for yourself. Just say, "What's the big fuckin deal, bitch? You sick or somethin?" I'd do it, but I have to be somewhere.)

Note: Haloscan are fixing their server, so the comments boxes may not appear periodically. Fan-fuckin-tastic.