PressEthic

When asked about Iraq last week, President Bush replied, "Absolutely, we are winning," as quoted in The Times. In the same speech, Mr. Bush asked the American public for patience and to disregard negative press regarding the war. But once more it appears he is not being forthright with Americans.

Buried deep in The Times, Michael Gordon had a stunning story, which diametrically opposes Mr. Bush’s statements.

"A classified briefing prepared two weeks ago by the United States Central Command portrays Iraq as edging toward chaos, in a chart that the military is using as a barometer of civil conflict," writes Gordon.

The barometer – devised by U.S. forces – shows a country on the brink of disaster, which is civil war. The Iraqi police force and Iraqi Army are described as ineffectual in the study.

An intelligence summary at the bottom of the slide reads "urban areas experiencing 'ethnic cleansing' campaigns to consolidate control" and "'violence at all-time high, spreading geographically.'" According to a Central Command official, the index on civil strife has been a staple of internal command briefings for most of this year. The analysis was prepared by the command’s intelligence directorate, which is overseen by Brig. Gen. John M. Custer, writes Gordon.

When Gordon asked about the scale, "A spokesman for the Central Command declined to comment on the index or other information in the slide. 'We don’t comment on secret material,' the spokesman said."

The study says "violence at all-time high" yet Mr. Bush claims we are winning the war. Who is America to believe? Who does the public trust in this hour? President Bush’s assessment or one derived from leaked classified information?

This is a prime example of when a journalist must print classified information. Without this information, the real Iraq would never surface.