Iraq II: Eek! There's a Second Intel Report on Iraq

Uh-oh. It turns out there's a second damning Iraq report out there and the Bush administration is trying to sit on it until after the November election.

TPM Muckraker broke the story based on remarks from Representative Jane Harriman, a California Democrat who sits on the House Intelligence (sic) Committee and it quickly went from blog news to big news.

Says TPM Mucraker:

"Dr. Lawrence Korb, a former senior Defense Department official now with the liberal-progressive Center for American Progress, hasn't seen the report but has discussed it with those who have. 'It's a very bleak picture of what's going on in Iraq,' he said.

Harman called for the White House to share a classified version of the report with Congress -- and to release a declassified version of the document to the American public, prior to the November elections.

Democratic sources on the Hill confirmed that the report has been a topic of discussion, particularly because of concerns that its release was being 'intentionally slowed' by the administration.

I don't know about you, but I'm shocked! Just shocked!

Meanwhile, once again playing the American people for suckers, the White House released only a portion the first report, a National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, despite calls that the entire document be made public.

The estimate, the most authoritative document produced by the U.S. intelligence community, states the obvious:

"We assess that the Iraq jihad is shaping a new generation of terrorist leaders and operatives; perceived jihadist success there would inspire more fighters to continue the struggle elsewhere.

"The Iraq conflict has become the 'cause celebre' for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement. Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight.

"Al-Qa’ida, now merged with Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi’s network, is exploiting the situation in Iraq to attract new recruits and donors and to maintain its leadership role. . . .

"We judge that most jihadist groups — both well-known and newly formed — will use improvised explosive devices and suicide attacks focused primarily on soft targets to implement their asymmetric warfare strategy, and that they will attempt to conduct sustained terrorist attacks in urban environments. Fighters with experience in Iraq are a potential source of leadership for jihadists pursuing these tactics."