Let's See It

Josh Marshall had a great idea today, to get everyone to call their Senators and Congressmen to demand the public release of the April 2006 National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq and Terrorism that, according to published reports, suggested that the Iraq war has actually created more terrorism globally than it has stopped. Right now the White House is claiming that the report has many conclusions, and this has been taken out of context. This makes it a he-said she-said debate. And it shouldn't be. Let's just see the document so the American people can draw their own conclusions.

From Josh:

For the last six weeks and, in fact, the last six months, the White House and the president have been engaged in a coordinated campaign to convince the public that despite the setbacks and mistakes, the war in Iraq is a critical component of fighting the War on Terror. Making that argument is their plan for the next six weeks until the election. All the while, they've been sitting on a report that says that's flat wrong, a lie and that precisely the opposite is the case.

That's a cover-up in every meaningful sense of the word, a calculated effort to hide information from and deceive the public. And it's actually a replay of what happened in late 2002, when the White House kept the Iraq WMD NIE's doubts about Iraqi weapons programs away from the public.

The president has made very clear he wants the next six weeks to be about Iraq and the War on Terror. By all means, let's do it. But first the president has to come clean about what he's keeping hidden from the public -- the fact that the people he has fighting the War on Terror are telling him that what he's telling the public about Iraq and the War on Terror flat isn't true.

Late word from the White House is that the Times report is "not representative of the complete document." Well, then, by all means, let's get a look at the whole thing so the public can get the big picture and find out who's telling the truth.

I've called Sen. Boxer and Sen. Feinstein on this issue, as well as Rep. Waxman (whose staffer seemed supportive of the effort). This is a grassroots opportunity to force Democrats to implant their spines and show some leadership. We need to see that NIE. We need to see the consensus document of all 16 intelligence agencies and what they say about the impact of the Iraq War on global terrorism. We cannot let this White House continue to hide the truth from the American people.

Everyone reading this needs to make those three phone calls today.