[MMMMMM]

Well, maybe this should be examined a little more critically, then. I haven't had time to delve into this matter beyond the surface--I've only scanned an article or two which raised, in my mind, more questions than they answered:

1) Did Powell claim the material was all original? He wasn't writing a term paper;-) Is there anything necessarily wrong with an intelligence report which includes both new and old information? Should Powell have been expected to footnote everything? And more importantly--and this may be key--did he actually present the old information as being new, or is this something critics are claiming on shaky ground?

2) Does the existence of dated information (which may provide valuable background information) in any way lessen the importance of current news?

4) Regarding classified information: It's often classified for good reason. I assume you aren't advocating the US government declassify everything relevant.

5) I actually don't care much if Powell copied portions of the report as long as it is accurate. If he were handing in a term paper, I'd say give him the boot. The purpose of the report was to provide strong circumstantial evidence. Did he lie in the report, did he grossly misrepresent matters? Or did he simply hash together as much background and current information as he could, possibly in a hurry?

6) Degree of intellectual dishonesty matters too. What may be a little intellectual dishonesty in the eyes of one may simply be slipshod compilation of data in the eyes of another.

7) I agree that our government (and probably all governments) has a history of trusting too little in the critical thinking skills of the public, and that too much secrecy in government may become a tool of authoritarian regimes or worse. Vigilance is important in preserving freedom. However I do get the impression (my first light impression, granted) that people may be reading too much into this Powell report matter from the outset.

We'll hear a lot about this in the next few days, and we'll have more time to assimilate some of the information that will be forthcoming.