It was reported in the Washington Post this morning that the Bush administration purposely excluded a completed chapter on Iraq's economy from its Economic Report of the President, which was released a few days ago. The National Security Council requested the chapter be removed, reasoning not that there was sensitive data that could lead to increased security concerns, but that the "feel-good" tone of the chapter would make the administration look bad amid continuing violence.
This is an extreme and unprecedented decision by the Bush administration. The Council of Economic Advisors (CEA), who produces the report, is supposed to be an independent entity and its members have long prided themselves on their academic integrity.
While there have been disagreements between White House staff and members of the council over past reports, the deletion of an entire completed chapter was described by former CEA members as "extraordinary," and "extreme."
This decision paints a broader picture of the Bush administration and the CEA with respect to policy analyses. Former CEA member under President Reagan William Niskanen said this showed that the council had been significantly weakened. Others observers are afraid this is just one more example of an administration that does not value lengthy, reasoned analyses of its policies. A former policy advisor to Presidents Reagan and Bush I, Bruce Bartlett commented, "They just don't seem to show that serious study is an important part of politics. [The current Bush administration] takes a very casual, hands-off, almost lackadaisical approach to the policy process."
