NIE 2

Josh Marshall informs us that the word on the hill has it that there is a second NIE (see below) dealing exclusively with Iraq which BushCo doesn't want to declassify. Wonder why? It really must be hard... lying all the time and having to deal with all those nasty facts that keep popping up to embarrass them... as if they had any shame.

This morning at TPM we got word that in addition to the already reported April Iraq/Terrorism NIE, there was another NIE exclusively on Iraq.

We talked to various Hill sources who confirmed its existence. And then Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), ranking member of the House intel committee discussed the report and called for its release at an event at the National Press Club.

Only there was another wrinkle to the sources. Hill sources tell TPMmuckraker that the administration has been sitting on the report, trying to prevent its dissemination before the election, presumably. And it turns out, from what we've heard, that this NIE actually hasn't been given the official "NIE" label because doing that would have required sharing it with various members of Congress.

The President has already said he's releasing "parts" of the April NIE -- which likely means it'll cleansed of all the important details. But both should be released. The April NIE and this NIE that dare not speak its name too.

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We've also talked to a number of Hill sources who tell us the report is being slow rolled, presumably to keep its findings from being released before the November 7th election.

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According to CNN, "An angry President Bush Tuesday said he would declassify an intelligence document that reportedly finds that the Iraq war increased the terrorist threat to the United States, saying the American people should come to their own conclusions."

Remember though what happened back in 2002.

When the president was called on to release the Iraq WMD NIE, they had all the information casting doubts on Iraqi WMD removed from the public document.

And, also, what about the other NIE we now learn they're sitting on? The one just on Iraq. Let's see that one too. In time for the election.