NIE! NIE!

[Jim Devine <jdevine03@xxxxxxxxx>]

> From SLATE:
> The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and
the Wall Street Journal all lead with President Bush's partial
declassification of a National Intelligence Estimate on terrorism. The
document, which was finalized in April and represents the combined
judgment of the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, describes violent
jihadism as a metastasizing threat being driven in part by the Iraq
war. Bush angrily ordered the publication of the report's key findings
after newspapers (led by the NYT) described its contents Sunday. Today
it's the papers' turn to react, and while their news accounts hew
closely to the released text, accompanying analysis pieces argue that
the NIE paints a grim picture of the administration's anti-terror
efforts. ...

With the two parties entering the final weeks of a hard-fought midterm
election campaign, the obvious question about the NIE is whether its
conclusions boost Democrats or Republicans. The report's money quote
(cited at least in part by all the papers) certainly sounds like a
Democratic talking point: "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." But in releasing the report, Bush seems confident he can
use it to support his claim that GOP policies, including the invasion
of Iraq, have made the country safer.

In lengthy news analyses, however, the papers argue against the
president. The Post writes the "overall estimate is bleak, with minor
notes of optimism," while the NYT notes, "nowhere in the assessment is
any evidence to support Mr. Bush's confident-sounding assertion this
month in Atlanta that 'America is winning the war on terror.'" The
LAT's front-page analysis argues that the explosive fight over the NIE
shows that Democrats who "in past years have been reluctant to
challenge the GOP on national security matters" will "fully engage
their rivals on the security front this time."

Oddly, the papers do not mention a comment from Rep. Jane Harman,
D-Calif., that another intelligence report, focused only on Iraq, has
been prepared. Harman said Tuesday that the second report, which
offers a "grim picture" of the country, is being kept in draft form
until after the election so that the administration does not have to
circulate it. CNN does note Harman's potentially significant claim and
gets an official denial from the administration.

Of course the argument over the NIE is only one front in the intense
battle for control of Congress. The NYT offers a front-page review of
the war on the airwaves, with a roundup of the nasty political ads
dominating television this fall. The article echoes a similar report
in yesterday's LAT, which described the attack ads as a central
component in the GOP's strategy to maintain control of Congress. USAT
reports that the effort also could hinge on marriage rates. The paper
notes that married people are more likely to vote for Republicans.

--
Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own
way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante.