The other side of that April National Intelligence Estimate, according to In From the Cold, which has its own annonymous intel sources. You know, the side the MSM did not report in the five-month-old news it rolled out just in time for the impending Congressional elections. Wonder why not.
"In one of its early paragraphs, the estimate notes progress in the struggle against terrorism, stating the U.S.-led efforts have ‘seriously damaged Al Qaida leadership and disrupted its operations.’ Didn’t see that in the NYT article.
"Or how about this statement, which–in part–reflects the impact of increased pressure on the terrorists: ‘A large body of reporting indicates that people identifying themselves as jihadists is increasing…however, they are largely decentralized, lack a coherent strategy and are becoming more diffuse.’ Hmm…doesn’t sound much like Al Qaida’s pre-9-11 game plan."
Via In From the Cold
UPDATE Via Instapundit, a Robert Kagan column in the WaPo questioning the NIE reports: "Since the Iraq war started, there have not been any successful terrorist attacks against the United States. That doesn’t mean the threat has diminished because of the Iraq war, but it does place the burden of proof on those who argue that it has increased."
LATER The NIE has been declassified. Smart move. Let’s see what, if anything, was exaggerated. Go here for a pdf on the key judgements of the April report.
FINALLY (I swear) Instapudit’s analysis of the material is intense: "While we should fire the leakers on general principles, we should probably also fire whoever wrote this — for producing a meaningless document full of empty bureaucratic twaddle. If the jihadists win, they’ll have more prestige! And they will probably use the internets! Do tell. Jesus Christ, if this is the quality of intelligence we’re getting, no wonder we haven’t won yet."
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 