September 25, 2006
Politicizing the NIE: Not As Easy As It Sounds
An early example of how Democrats are trying to take advantage of the leaked partial National Intelligence Estimate suggesting that Iraq had created a new generation of Islamic radicals comes from MD Dem chair Terry Lierman, who released this statement: “Yesterday, we learned that America’s own intelligence agencies believe that the war in Iraq has increased worldwide terrorism. Michael Steele's blind support for the President's failed policy in Iraq is not only wrong, it's downright dangerous. A vote for Steele is a vote for Bush and his failed Iraq policy.”
Meanwhile, other bloggers are calling for Dem leaders to demand the report's full declassification. But they may want to hold their fingers.
First, it's a classified report. Dems don't want to be seen as the party that's ready to buck the system that protects national security information when it's political convenient. So you'll see plenty of calls for the CIA to "review" the report to see whether unclassified portions of it could be released.
Dem sources who have been briefed on the document worry that its conclusions are more equivocal than the flashy headlines might suggest. Also: the Dem leadership is content, for now, to let the Republican Party handle this on its own. They argue that an aggressive push to declassify the full NIE would do little to advance the storyline and obscure -- or even tamp down on -- the effect of the original New York Times story. [MARC AMBINDER]
Posted at 04:15 PM
Comments
Marc, you are such a right-wing hack its not even funny.
ty | 09.25.06 05:11 PM
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Additional information on the report indicates the NYT as usual kind of streatched the truth in the leaked (by a traitor, or democrat, one and the same) 'secret' information they have. The President will declassify the complete report any day and burn the democrats a** for their stupidity and lies. He has no choice but to release the report at the proper time, about 2 weeks maybe.
Scrapiron | 09.25.06 11:50 PM
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