.Classified Iraq Report
WASHINGTON -- A new, classified intelligence assessment about Iraq paints an improved picture of the conditions on the ground, according to officials familiar with the document, a conclusion that could boost the administration ahead of a series of congressional debates on the war.
While officials wouldn't describe details, they described the report broadly as supporting the surge strategy advocated by Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S.'s top military commander in Iraq. They said it focuses on improvements in the Iraqi government and in security on the ground.
The report didn't include the recent fighting between Iraqi-government forces and the Shiite militia of Moqtada al-Sadr, according to one person who has read it.
The document, an update to an earlier National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, is rosier than the previous reports. It has been released to a limited number of lawmakers. Reflecting the consensus of all 16 intelligence agencies, such estimates are the most weighty intelligence analysis the government produces. The update was overseen by Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell.
In a sign of how contentious Iraq remains as a political issue, the report immediately prompted clashes between Democrats and the administration. Democrats say the report adds little more than what is already available in newspapers and that it appears to be designed largely to bolster the administration's Iraq policy.
"It's much less insightful than other, recent products and focuses narrowly on counterterrorism efforts in Iraq and the progress of the Iraqi leadership," said Rep. Jane Harman, a California Democrat who is chairwoman of the Homeland Security intelligence subcommittee.
A senior administration official said the report reflects the realities on the ground. "The NIE update confirmed that the surge strategy the president announced in January of last year is working," one senior administration official said. "There's more work to be done, but progress has obviously been made."
Next week, Gen Petraeus will testify before Congress on progress in Iraq. Later this spring, Congress will likely debate the administration's most recent request to fund the war effort.
The purpose of the report, Mr. McConnell has said, was to assess Iraq's "political, economic and security trends." It was requested by Sen. John Warner (R., Va.) and delivered to Congress on Tuesday.
Several Democratic officials said the report was notable for what it didn't cover. It didn't delve into questions of how developments in Iraq would be affected by changes in the region. Earlier reports assessed the potential impact of changes, such as a decision to pull out U.S. troops.
"One might ask whether the timing of the release and the apparent departure from usual procedures means this is more of a political document than an intelligence document," said Rep. Rush Holt, a Democrat from New Jersey who is a member of the House Intelligence Committee. He declined to say how the procedures were unusual.
Intelligence reports are often delayed by major developments that could affect the assessments, such as the Sadr fighting.
Several senior Republican lawmakers declined to comment, citing the report's classified status.
The previous Iraq intelligence report issued in August concluded that there had been "measurable but uneven improvements" in security in Iraq. It also said the level of violence remained high and the Iraq government remained "unable to govern effectively." Its status would become "more precarious" in the coming months.
A summary of the August report was released in October, after which Mr. McConnell issued a policy stating that declassified summaries would no longer be provided. He quickly broke with that policy in December and made public a summary of a report on Iran, which reversed a long-standing U.S. position that Tehran was actively seeking to develop a nuclear-weapons program.
Mr. McConnell has said he has no plans to declassify a summary of the most recent Iraq update. His spokesman, Ross Feinstein, declined to comment.
Rep. Harman said because much of the information in the report is "already in the public domain," she wants as much of it as possible to be made public soon, allowing time for public discussion before Gen. Petraeus gives his report.
Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Carl Levin of Michigan wrote to Mr. McConnell on Wednesday to ask him to declassify the report's summary. "There is no compelling reason not to release an unclassified version of this latest" report, they wrote.
WSJ
While officials wouldn't describe details, they described the report broadly as supporting the surge strategy advocated by Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S.'s top military commander in Iraq. They said it focuses on improvements in the Iraqi government and in security on the ground.
The report didn't include the recent fighting between Iraqi-government forces and the Shiite militia of Moqtada al-Sadr, according to one person who has read it.
The document, an update to an earlier National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, is rosier than the previous reports. It has been released to a limited number of lawmakers. Reflecting the consensus of all 16 intelligence agencies, such estimates are the most weighty intelligence analysis the government produces. The update was overseen by Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell.
In a sign of how contentious Iraq remains as a political issue, the report immediately prompted clashes between Democrats and the administration. Democrats say the report adds little more than what is already available in newspapers and that it appears to be designed largely to bolster the administration's Iraq policy.
"It's much less insightful than other, recent products and focuses narrowly on counterterrorism efforts in Iraq and the progress of the Iraqi leadership," said Rep. Jane Harman, a California Democrat who is chairwoman of the Homeland Security intelligence subcommittee.
A senior administration official said the report reflects the realities on the ground. "The NIE update confirmed that the surge strategy the president announced in January of last year is working," one senior administration official said. "There's more work to be done, but progress has obviously been made."
Next week, Gen Petraeus will testify before Congress on progress in Iraq. Later this spring, Congress will likely debate the administration's most recent request to fund the war effort.
The purpose of the report, Mr. McConnell has said, was to assess Iraq's "political, economic and security trends." It was requested by Sen. John Warner (R., Va.) and delivered to Congress on Tuesday.
Several Democratic officials said the report was notable for what it didn't cover. It didn't delve into questions of how developments in Iraq would be affected by changes in the region. Earlier reports assessed the potential impact of changes, such as a decision to pull out U.S. troops.
"One might ask whether the timing of the release and the apparent departure from usual procedures means this is more of a political document than an intelligence document," said Rep. Rush Holt, a Democrat from New Jersey who is a member of the House Intelligence Committee. He declined to say how the procedures were unusual.
Intelligence reports are often delayed by major developments that could affect the assessments, such as the Sadr fighting.
Several senior Republican lawmakers declined to comment, citing the report's classified status.
The previous Iraq intelligence report issued in August concluded that there had been "measurable but uneven improvements" in security in Iraq. It also said the level of violence remained high and the Iraq government remained "unable to govern effectively." Its status would become "more precarious" in the coming months.
A summary of the August report was released in October, after which Mr. McConnell issued a policy stating that declassified summaries would no longer be provided. He quickly broke with that policy in December and made public a summary of a report on Iran, which reversed a long-standing U.S. position that Tehran was actively seeking to develop a nuclear-weapons program.
Mr. McConnell has said he has no plans to declassify a summary of the most recent Iraq update. His spokesman, Ross Feinstein, declined to comment.
Rep. Harman said because much of the information in the report is "already in the public domain," she wants as much of it as possible to be made public soon, allowing time for public discussion before Gen. Petraeus gives his report.
Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Carl Levin of Michigan wrote to Mr. McConnell on Wednesday to ask him to declassify the report's summary. "There is no compelling reason not to release an unclassified version of this latest" report, they wrote.
WSJ
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