Army Buried Story Faulting Iraq Planning (via NYT)
The Army is accustomed to protecting classified information. But when it comes to the planning for the Iraq war, even an unclassified assessment can acquire the status of a state secret.
That is what happened to a detailed study of the planning for postwar Iraq prepared for the Army by the RAND Corporation, a federally financed center that conducts research for the military.
After 18 months of research, RAND submitted a report in the summer of 2005 called “Rebuilding Iraq.” RAND researchers provided an unclassified version of the report along with a secret one, hoping that its publication would contribute to the public debate on how to prepare for future conflicts.
But the study’s wide-ranging critique of the White House, the Defense Department and other government agencies was a concern for Army generals, and the Army has sought to keep the report under lock and key.
Surprised yet? Me Either. 
I mean, if you’re a war-mongering, big spending, Republican President, the last thing you want is someone telling you that you’re not doing your job properly. Right?
I look for more of these interesting stories to come out as the year progresses and after George W. Bush is out of office.
It’s going to be an interesting summer and year. 2009 is going to be even better.
Others: : Hullabaloo, RADAMISTO, The RBC and democracyarsenal.org