Funmurphys: the Blog

Distancing or Confirmation?

In responding to a post by Joshua Clayborne about the leaked DOD memo on Iraq al-Qaida ties, I wrote a lengthy reply. So I thought I'd polish it up for my own site.

The Weekly Standard broke the story under the title Case Closed. The DOD responded with a Press Relase that in my opinion confirms rather than denies while taking the form of a denial - kind of like a back-handed compliment.

From the Press Release:

"These reports dealt with the relationship between Iraq and al-Qaida.

The items listed in the classified annex were either raw reports or products of the CIA, the NSA, or, in one case, the DIA."

Here we have the DOD confirm that they did prepare a classified memo, that it contained a description of both raw intelligence data and various reports from various agencies, and the subject matter was the connection between Iraq and al-Qaida. Rather than distancing, the DOD said yeah, we put it together with the consent of the Intelligence Community.

As far as distancing from news reports claiming the DOD confirmed new information - well, I suppose it all depends on the meaning of distance, confirm and new. The News Release makes that the DOD had nothing to do with the reports and raw intel - all it did was supply a list to the Senate of non-DOD reports and raw intel. So I suppose you could say that the DOD distanced itself from what was contained in the reports ("hey, it ain't our work, its the Intellegence Community's work), and since this all happened back in July, why, nothing new here.

In fairness to Mr. Hayes, when he speaks of "new information", he's referring to intel gathered after the invasion of Iraq and new to those outside the intel community (he also points out that pleny of it is old intel - including from Clinton was President. I think most people would agree that that is a reasonable definition for a news report on this subject. And Mr. Hayes never claims that his conclusion that Iraq and al Qaida were cooperating is the official conclusion of any government agency or entity.

It's interesting to note that the DOD press release focuses on the annex to the letter Under Secretary Feith sent - while Mr. Hayes consistantly refers to "the memo". Does Mr. Hayes have the whole thing? Maybe there are conclusions in that part?

So you have Under Secretary Feith testifying before Congress in July, and the Senate asks him for the reports to back up his testimony -- so he must have discussed ties between Iraq and al-Qaida. I think it's a reasonable inference to draw that he was claiming there were ties between the two (why else say "hey, back those claims up"). I don't know this, but I think that's the way the evidence available points.

So I think the DOD press release doesn't represent a distancing, but dare I say a confirmation of the news reports.