Wednesday March 12, 2008, 12:51 pm
Did you think that just because taxpayers funded a study that showed conclusively there was no operational link between Saddam Hussein's Iraq and Al Qaeda that it would be released without a fuss? Well, this is the Bush administration we're talking about here -- a group who've shown themselves over the years to be masters at disappearing inconvenient information. It looks like we've got another addition to our ever-growing catalog.

From ABC News:

The Bush Administration apparently does not want a U.S. military study that found no direct connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda to get any attention. This morning, the Pentagon cancelled plans to send out a press release announcing the report's release and will no longer make the report available online.
The report was to be posted on the Joint Forces Command website this afternoon, followed by a background briefing with the authors. No more. The report will be made available only to those who ask for it, and it will be sent via U.S. mail from Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia.

It won't be emailed to reporters and it won't be posted online.


I have to say, though, that this method of squelching leaves much to be desired. Maybe they're losing their touch, but the way you squelch a report -- as the Army showed with a 2005 RAND Corporation report that upbraided the administration for inadequately preparing for the postwar occupation -- is to keep it really quiet. (Even better, as a cursory browse of our list will show, is to make sure the report never gets written at all.)

But McClatchy and ABC News have already published stories on the report's findings. And ABC even has a link (pdf) to the report's executive summary. And, really, some nosy reporter is just going to post a link to the entire report at some point if you're mailing the darn thing out. So what gives? I expect more.

Wednesday March 12, 2008, 12:52 pm
Bush buries everything-so not surprising.
Noted with disgust.

Wednesday March 12, 2008, 4:52 pm
Luvly - did you see that video Confessions of an economic hitman that came up on our news lot and is on youtube- suggests why this happened.

Thursday March 13, 2008, 7:50 am
"The report will be made available only to those who ask for it, and it will be sent via U.S. mail from Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia."
So, let's request it ...

Thursday March 13, 2008, 8:33 am
I WILL REQUEST IT NOTED

Thursday March 13, 2008, 9:46 am
Great ide,a Rud, we should all request it, ask our Congre$$ional Repre$entative$ to request copie$ and keep them in their Congre$$ional office$ in D.C. and "at home" so that they are made available to the electorate ... let them know that we won't stand for any more fraud and $ecrecy fro the Bu$h admini$tration and the Congre$$ional crook$ who protect Bu$h.

Thursday March 13, 2008, 12:15 pm
The Pentagon can't pass an audit; why do we keep allowing our Congre$$ to give the Pentagon money when they can't account for what they're doing with the money they're given.

Vote all the crook$ and liar$ out of Congre$$ and the White Hou$e, $top the war machine, forever!