Truth...and the American Way

It's been all over the blogs, and last night Richard Clarke discussed it with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. (Clarke was great, btw.) It's the worst kept secret in the government, so why haven't we, the public, seen it? It's the NIE, the National Intelligence Estimate, and I gather it is NOT a rosy picture; but it's at least a measure of honesty. So where is it? Senator Bob Graham (D-FL), along with an astonishing number of Republican legislators, are calling for it to be released, so we can have an honest look at where we are.

MoveOn.org has a petition to sign calling for the report's release.

Last night Clarke mentioned that the administration has plans for the tough spots in Iraq, which have predictions of very high American casualties, but that they're holding on to them until mid-November. I suppose it makes sense from their perspective. If they win, they have impunity for 4 more years. If they lose, they can try to get what they went to Iraq for (whatever that is) before they leave.

Now, I'm not one of those who believes we should summarily pull out of Iraq. I'm a firm believer in cleaning up one's own messes. But neither do I think a gratuitous loss of life is the answer. What I know to be true is that we cannot make decisions without accurate information. So bring on the report and let us be an informed electorate.