The New Republic Online: Secrets and Lies
The New Republic Online: Secrets and Lies
The Senate Intelligence Committee's report on prewar U.S. intelligence about Iraq makes for enthralling reading. But almost as interesting are the vast sections we can't read. About 15 percent of the report is bathed in black ink, redacted because the CIA deemed the information classified. But those redactions are highly suspect. First, the CIA tried to black out about half of the report. Then, after protests from Congress, the Agency yielded, to no demonstrable harm. Second, many of the heavily redacted sections deal with the most politically sensitive topics, such as whether intelligence analysts were pressured by administration officials, and the story behind President Bush's claim that Saddam Hussein sought uranium from Africa.
The Senate Intelligence Committee's report on prewar U.S. intelligence about Iraq makes for enthralling reading. But almost as interesting are the vast sections we can't read. About 15 percent of the report is bathed in black ink, redacted because the CIA deemed the information classified. But those redactions are highly suspect. First, the CIA tried to black out about half of the report. Then, after protests from Congress, the Agency yielded, to no demonstrable harm. Second, many of the heavily redacted sections deal with the most politically sensitive topics, such as whether intelligence analysts were pressured by administration officials, and the story behind President Bush's claim that Saddam Hussein sought uranium from Africa.
<< Home