Don’t get me wrong, I still believe that the April NIE regarding Iraq and terrorism should be declassified sooner rather than later, even taking into account that Porter Goss and John Negroponte have no doubt done everything within their power to keep the text as Republican-friendly as possible. Expect plenty of tomfoolery for the right blogosphere to get excited about. Still, there are only so many ways to cook a turd. One way or the other the nation’s intelligence agencies have to acknowledge the obvious.
All that being said, it seems odd that Sen. Intelligence Committee chair Pat Roberts (R-KS) jumped on the declassification bandwagon practically before anybody else. Roberts’s toadying pretty much redefines the word. I doubt that there exists a legislator in DC more slavishly devoted to the interests of the White House, so when Pat Roberts and I agree on something it usually means that I am misinformed. October surprise? Did somebody secretly replace Pat Roberts with Folgers Crystals (TM)? Who knows. But it’s creepy.
***Update***
Oh, I get it. There are actually two documents. The report on Iraq, which apparently produced the juicy quotes about the war making the threat of terrorism worse, will never see the light of day. This other report, however, certainly covers much friendlier ground. No doubt they plan to pull a bait-and-switch where the government releases document #2 and then tries to discredit the media outlets when the GOP-friendly text in doc #2 disagrees with the reports based on doc #1. Surprise!
If the media was better at their job they would demand that the president declassify both reports, not just the one that he wants to declassify. But they’re not. I give the scam a ninety percent chance of working flawlessly.
srv
Considering how much time the Darrells and MacBucks spent in tiny contra-footnotes of the last Congressional commissions, I’m quite sure the right will again miss the forest for a tree or two.
Paul L.
More of What You Won’t Read in the NYT
I except the screams of dirty tricks and Karl Rove to be beginning soon.
Paul L.
Correction.
I suspect the screams of dirty tricks and Karl Rove to be beginning soon.
Also see
More on the NIE
rachel
If the NIE has good news, I’d like to see it.
The Other Steve
Well, you have to look at this from the perspective of the rightwing.
Their only interest is in winning elections, not keeping the country safe. So when the NIE says Iraq created more terrorism they all screamed “YEAH! BABY!”
See, they don’t want to end the War on Terror. that’d be bad politics. They want it to continue for another 30-40 years. So creating a new generation of terrorists is good for them, as far as they are concerned.
If there’s an October surprise, it’ll be a video coming out from Osama bin Laden to try to scare people into voting for the Republicans again, just like he did in 2004 when he gave Bush a boost just before the election.
The Other Steve
Yeah, it’d sure be nice to hear about some good news for a change.
Par R
Get ready. According to the President’s comment at a noon press conference, it’s about to be released. Frankly, I was shocked to see the NYT publish the selective leak offered them at the behest of Karl; apparently, Karl’s fingerprints were well disguised.
Filthy McNasty
Traps are only good if the prey is stupid enough to keep stepping into it. A selectively released report, reviewed by liberally-oriented news organs like the NYT, creates “evidence” to support a pre-determined conclusion, which then is spread far and wide by blogs like this one, generating a certainty that the jig is up.
But the truth, apparent to all outside the namby-pamby, childish liberal worldview, is that there must be more to the report, and if we could read the whole document, we could then have an informed opinion and understand that there are successes and failures mixed together to create a pipcture that we’ll never get from the likes of the NYT or Balloon Juice.
I guess the real situation you’ve found yourself in is not that you are caught in a trap set by someone else, but set by yourself thanks to your narrow political beliefs.
rachel
Wait, wait… The New York Times is liberal?
sockpuppet in training
Tim, do you not think your Porter Goss and John Negroponte snark about keeping the NIE “republican friendly” is a little hyperbolic ? I understand you are a critic of this administration, but bitching about politicizing the war on terror, it rings hollow when you kept your mouth shut for the past two years as Gorelick and BenVeniste have used their postions on the 9/11 commision as a political cudgel.
The Other Steve
Huh?
Sometimes the wingnuttery of the wingnuts even baffles me.
The Other Steve
Strike that. I reread Filthy McNutty’s comment, and it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense either.
JWeidner
Get ready indeed. The president isn’t releasing the whole thing. Frankly, unless I can read everything, I wouldn’t get my hackles up one way or the other.
Tim F.
News to me. The things you learn from Powerline and Michelle Malkin…
jg
From what I’ve read on lefty blogs, the report states that invading Iraq has increased terrorism and since lefties were saying this would happen they appear happy the report verifies that. The fact that the report will also mention successes of the invasion doesn’t take away from ther part where it says the invasion has made the world more in danger from terrorism. That won’t stop the right from saying it proves the left wrong(?!) of course. It doesn’t have to be true that it proves the left wrong in order for the wingnuts to believe it just has to be said out loud by an approved right wing source.
Darrell
Exactly. Next step, as jg demonstrates, is for the left to demand that the ENTIRE report be declassified, raising wild eyed conspiracy theories on why it wasn’t. The White House will seize upon this ignorant knee jerk reaction from the left, pointing out with full justification that the report itself was classified, sections are being de-classified only as a response to the disinformation spread by those who illegally leaked details of the report (report was completed in April, leaks didn’t take place until less than 2 months before elections.. typical leftist political smear move) and explain that to de-classify everything would reveal sources and methods.
Libs will whine that evil genius Rove used his diabolical powers to trick them once again into looking stupid, but truth is, they were suckered like sheep because of their own narrow political beliefs and preconceived notions.
Pb
My selective quote is better than your selective quote, nyah!
And, a quick projection of what the released documents will look like after Pat Roberts gets ahold of them:
Darrell
Not jg, JWeidner. My error
srv
So everyone note, Darrell just said invading Iraq has resulted in less terrorism and not an incubator for terrorism.
jg
Thanks for the correction. I’m used to you completely missing the point I made but usually you’re kind of close. LOL
Andrew
Okay folks, seriously, if people don’t GET IT yet, then the release of yet another document stating the obvious isn’t going to do a damn thing.
You could present incontrovertible evidence of Cheney drinking the blood of Christian babies and lubing up with Iraqi petroleum to rape the corpse of Mother Teresa and half of the country would write it off as just another fraternity prank.
srv
I’m still waiting on the annual State Department report on terrorism.
SeesThroughIt
It’s about damn time we get to hear the good news about radicalizing previously moderate Middle-Easterners.
chopper
so liberals ask for the whole report to be released, including the good news, the white house releases only the stuff that makes them look good, and it’s the liberals’ fault. gotcha.
RSA
In 2002, a declassified version of the NIE was made available two days after the classified version was finished. What’s different about this one? And how is it that classified information should suddenly become unclassified? Isn’t the argument that classified stuff is about national security? If Bush were a serious President, he’d treat security implications as more important than political implications.
Filthy McNasty
TOS,
The subtext of my comment above is that the political left keeps setting itself up by groping for anything that reeks of failure from the administration, but the true story is far more complex, and the public that resides outside your perverse world view understands this, and is patient enough to see through the bifurcation of facts that the NYT engages in. If you would only be as patient, and as intellectually honest with the facts, maybe you wouldn’t keep stepping into these so-called traps.
mrmobi
Andrew, Andrew, Andrew. Cheney only drinks Scotch, and only when he’s hunting.
srv:
You gonna be waitin’ a looooong time.
Pb
srv,
Personally, I’d like to see what’s happening with the M3 money supply.
Pb
I’d love to see some evidence for this, but unfortunately all the evidence cuts in the other direction. For example, if you were right on this, then we wouldn’t have gone into Iraq–because the public would have realized that “the true story is far more complex”, and they would have been “patient enough to see through the bifurcation of facts that the NYT engages in”.
srv
So, for historical purposes:
Invading Iraq has resulted in less terrorism: 3
Sock, Darrell, Filthy, thankyou for playing.
Darrell
The money supply has increased at a sharp rate… lots of liquidity juicing the economy. Interesting though, that inflation hasn’t followed suit with the money supply as has been the case in the past.
If you discount the oil spike, which is a result of the oil demand from the explosive growth of China, India, and other countries, not much to do with money suppy… if you discount oil, inflation has been pretty tame using traditional CPI methods. Even with oil prices spiking, inflation has been relatively tame.
Darrell
They were patient enough to re-elect Bush and increase Republican control of the House and Senate, after it became well known that Iraq had no WMDs to speak of. But please feel free to ignore that reality as it conflicts with the narrative you’re pushing.
mrmobi
Mr. McNasty, did you once work for Fred Rogers?
In fact, the “public that resides outside our perverse world view,” doesn’t reside outside our world view. They share it.
The public, by a substantial majority, if polls are to be believed, thinks, correctly, that the Iraq adventure is the biggest fucking foreign policy mistake ever made. In addition, they think Mr. McflightSuit is doing a bad job.
The public is sick of being lied to, sick of an economy where earning power doesn’t keep pace with inflation and ordinary people are one loss of health insurance away from financial disaster, and finally, sick of watching the Party of Torture abandon the core principles that have made us a great country.
Mr. McFlightSuit is leaving our forces in a situation (civil war) where the consequences of his monumental incompetence could cause substantial losses. His solution: Stay the Course. The definition of stupidity, according to Albert Einstein, is doing the same thing, over and over again, and expecting a different result.
McFlightSuit’s losing the Generals, too. Buckle up, McNasty, more reality headed your way in November.
Zerthimon
Tim, you missed this
tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001603.php
I don’t see where you’re getting that this other report was used to justify the New York Times article.
Unless you’re saying this other report is the “more friendly” one. Which if you read the Muckracker article doesn’t seem to be the case. This one may be actually more damning.
ThymeZone
Really?
Well, I’ll look forward to the section that describes what a “war on terror” actually is. How it’s fought, how its effects are measured, how you know when you are winning. How wars on terror in history have turned out, and why.
See, there is actually no such thing as a “war on terror.” That’s like declaring War on Sociopathy. Or War on Hubris.
Tell us, wise one, what exactly IS a war on terror? Can you cite examples from history?
And if there has never been one, and nobody knows what one looks like, what leads you to think that the chowderheads in control right now know how to fight one? Because they say so?
The Other Steve
Right… this is the reason for Bush’s 60% disapproval rating.
Of course. I get it. It is I who does not reside in the reality based community. The real reality based community understands that the public fully supports President Bush’s effort to bring Democracy to the little brown people of Iraq who just plain don’t know any better.
Wow, that spin just made me sick to my stomach. I think I shall go take some Zantac.
The Other Steve
It appears here the “Trap” is that Bushie is only going to release parts of the report which are favorable to his argument.
And the rightwing, will pick it up and shout that it is proof. PROOF I SAY! Proof that everybody else is wrong, and their glorious bubble boy is the savior of the world.
Even if nobody actually likes him, and he’s making the world a worst place to live. What’s important isn’t that reality, what is important is that they love their Dear Leader like all good little party members should.
Hyperion
this is interesting
i think it means that you’ll be waiting a long time.
Redleg
Sen. Mitch McConnell from Kentucky is an even bigger Bush sycophant than is Pat Roberts. McConnell has never seen a Bush policy, action, cluster-f@ck, abortion, speech, etc. that he hasn’t liked.
Redleg
Filthy McNasty, do you project much? Really, liberals have a perspective that is narrowed by political ideology but Bush, Inc. doesn’t? You don’t? Get real. We all have blinders from time to time. Your comment suggests that liberals have them but the good guys don’t.
Pb
Darrell,
Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of. Just remember, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Apart from (but of course related to) oil, there has been commodity inflation, and of course there’s also the current deflation of the housing bubble to contend with. In the long run, I’m just not that optimistic.
ThymeZone
Meanwhile, good news for your family, Darrell.
When I read your posts, I think “amygdala.”
Pb
More like they held their noses and then regretted it in the morning. As electoral victories go, 2004 was a surprisingly shaky one, much like 2000 was.
Richard 23
Right wing bwahahaha-ing aside, I’d still like to read about what’s in both reports, including the one that suggests the Iraq war has made us less safe.
I frequently hear this line about how we’re safer now than we were on 9/10, but not yet safe (esp since 9/11 was still yet to occur). The real question is are we safer now than on 9/12 and, either way, at what cost.
Redleg
Darrell,
How’s the Bush “re-election” working out for us?
Oh, I’m sure you neo-cons will find some way to reduce the cognitive dissonance you must be experiencing in knowing you voted for a feckless turd. Here’s an idea: just keep telling yourself that John Kerry would have been worse than Bush. That’ll help you get through the day without having to confront the reality that Bush is a failure and has made this country less safe by pursuing war in Iraq and by seriously mis-managing the war.
Filthy McNasty
If this is true, it is no different than the NYT (and BJ) going gaga over the selective reading of the report through the selective leaking of its contents.
Zerthimon
The declassified NIE has been released
odni.gov/press_releases/Declassified_NIE_Key_Judgments.pdf
First glance leads me to believe Tim’s fears didn’t come true. As statements that bolster the Times article is in there.