Bolton nomination now officially, completely, totally dead.
Okay, it sounds like that Iraq/Terrorism NIE isn’t the only one out there.
We’ve been making calls all morning. And it turns there’s another NIE the White House is apparently sitting on. This one’s entirely on the situation in Iraq. And the word we keep hearing to describe the findings are “bleak.”
We’ll have a full write up shortly at TPMmuckraker.
According to CNN, “An angry President Bush Tuesday said he would declassify an intelligence document that reportedly finds that the Iraq war increased the terrorist threat to the United States, saying the American people should come to their own conclusions.”
Remember though what happened back in 2002.
When the president was called on to release the Iraq WMD NIE, they had all the information casting doubts on Iraqi WMD removed from the public document.
And, also, what about the other NIE we now learn they’re sitting on? The one just on Iraq. Let’s see that one too. In time for the election.
TPMmuckraker’s Justin Rood has just posted his first dispatch on the other secret NIE, the one on Iraq.
Rep. Harman (D-CA) has just said she wants it released.
We’ve also talked to a number of Hill sources who tell us the report is being slow rolled, presumably to keep its findings from being released before the November 7th election.
Late Update: In the course of our reporting this morning, there was some question over whether this Iraq report was in fact an NIE. It now appears that it is an NIE in all but name, prepared in the same way, by the same people. But it’s not been given the ‘NIE’ label because that would trigger reporting requirements to congress that the adminsitration has wanted to avoid. We’ll bring you more updates on this question shortly.
Let’s review what we know.
This morning at TPM we got word that in addition to the already reported April Iraq/Terrorism NIE, there was another NIE exclusively on Iraq.
We talked to various Hill sources who confirmed its existence. And then Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), ranking member of the House intel committee discussed the report and called for its release at an event at the National Press Club.
Only there was another wrinkle to 
the sources. Hill sources tell TPMmuckraker that the administration has been sitting on the report, trying to prevent its dissemination before the election, presumably. And it turns out, from what we’ve heard, that this NIE actually hasn’t been given the official “NIE” label because doing that would have required sharing it with various members of Congress.
The President has already said he’s releasing “parts” of the April NIE — which likely means it’ll be cleansed of all the important details. But both should be released. The April NIE and this NIE that dare not speak its name too.
And the only way that will happen is with pressure from constituents. Call your representatives and senators. Rep. Harman has noted the existence of the separate Iraq report and called for its release before the election. Find out from your member of Congress whether they want it released to or not. Where do they stand?
Let us know what you hear and we’ll share it with readers here on the site.
Here’s the transcript of Rep. Jane Harman’s (D-CA) remarks earlier today, revealing the existence of that 2nd intelligence report on Iraq.
House candidate Tammy Duckworth (D), the Iraq War vet who lost both her legs in combat, responds to opponent Peter Roskam’s (R) charge that she wants to “cut and run” from Iraq.
Retired intelligence officers write to Specter and Leahy in opposition to Torture Bill.
You can read the Key Judgments of the global terrorism NIE here. It’s four pages.