Trooferism Lite

Juan Cole indulges himself in a new form of Trooferism:

So, the rumour was right: French soldiers trapped Usamah Bin-Ladin, but were not allowed by the Americans to arrest the apparent fugitive leader of Al-Qa`idah. A Bin-Ladin documentary just released by French documentary cinema examines this issue, an issue which has led to heated debate in the French media.

Just one problem: Seems these reports came out two years ago and the French government denied them at the time.

Ministry spokesman Jean-Francois Bureau said there was "no foundation of truth" to the claim, which was reported on France-Info radio.

But you know how it is with Cole; any negative claim against the USA is right up his alley.