Declassifying NIE Shows It Shouldn't Have Been Classified At All

[stopbush]

You can't be a little bit pregnant. You are or you aren't.

At his press conference, * said he didn't want to get in the habit of declassifying classified info every time there was a
leak of said info. That begs the question: why was it classified to begin with?

If it was classified because the info was so sensitive that it would hurt the country if released, then releasing it doesn't make
the info any less sensitive or any less damaging to the country. There are degrees of damage, of course, but this is supposed
to be a democracy where the people have the right to transparency in their government. Under bush, there is a complete
lock down on information. Being denied info means we are being denied the truth. Being denied the truth means we are missing
a keystone of democracy.

On the other hand, if the NIE was classified for purely political reasons - ie: the info contained is damaging to the president - then
it shouldn't have been classified in the first place. It is clear that the ONLY reason this document was classified in April and remained classified
until today is that it was extremely damaging to the bush administration - not to the country, not to our democracy and not to We the People.

By declassifying the NIE, bush has proved once again that the actions he takes - down to and including those actions supposedly taken to safeguard
the country - are taken solely to protect his political scalp.

It's really disgusting when you think about it.

[maddezmom]

1. Very good point

K&R

and why was Afghanistan left out?

[hang a left]

3. Probably on the cutting room floor. nt

[EST]

2. It is also a crime to classify anything just to protect

the syndicate from embarrassment or prosecution.