Where Is It?(Updated)

So where's this report with the evidence about that Syrian chemical weapons attack? It was supposed to be out yesterday and they apparently briefed members of Congress on it last night, so why hasn't it been given to the rest of us? Are they counting on a standard late Friday afternoon document dump to hide bad news?

What I want to see is proof that we know what happened, that any attack makes sense given those facts, and that we really know enough about what is happening on the ground in real time to know what we are attacking. 

One thing I don't want to hear about is trust. Not from an administration that is still covering up what the CIA and State Department were really doing in Benghazi a year ago.

Show us the evidence or stay the hell out of the Syria mess, which probably we should stay out of regardless.

More: It's out and the report itself can be read or downloaded from USA Today's summary article.

It is a collection of assessments and assertions with only a few details offered here and there to back them up. It unfortunately does not lay out a seamless and detailed chain of events that clearly prove what happened that night. For example, we have this:

Syrian chemical weapons personnel were operating in the Damascus suburb of ‘Adra from Sunday, August 18 until early in the morning on Wednesday, August 21 near an area that the regime uses to mix chemical weapons, including sarin. On August 21, a Syrian regime element prepared for a chemical weapons attack in the Damascus area, including through the utilization of gas masks. Our intelligence sources in the Damascus area did not detect any indications in the days prior to the attack that opposition affiliates were planning to use chemical weapons.

Followed by this:

Multiple streams of intelligence indicate that the regime executed a rocket and artillery attack against the Damascus suburbs in the early hours of August 21. Satellite detections corroborate that attacks from a regime-controlled area struck neighborhoods where the chemical attacks reportedly occurred – including Kafr Batna, Jawbar, ‘Ayn Tarma, Darayya, and Mu’addamiyah. This includes the detection of rocket launches from regime controlled territory early in the morning, approximately 90 minutes before the first report of a chemical attack appeared in social media. The lack of flight activity or missile launches also leads us to conclude that the regime used rockets in the attack.

Okay, so we have Syrian chemical weapons personnel "operating in the Damascus suburb of ‘Adra." Then we have "a Syrian regime element prepared for a chemical weapons attack in the Damascus area." What area? That same suberb? What regime element?

Then we have two mentions of attacks being launched from "regime controlled territory." What territory? The suburb of 'Adra? The "Damascus area"? Why the coyness about all of that? Why are they not clearly tying these things together?

I can't vouch for the accuracy of this Turkish media story, but note the specifity in its allegations:

Anadolu Agency (AA) reached detailed list including information about the chemical attack as well as the names of Syrian army troops who were on duty during the attack in Damascus.

According to the list of names of the Syrian regime troops who participated in the chemical attack, 155th Missile Brigade: 51,52,577,578,579 and 1097th Missile Row and technical support row to support them were resposible for the chemical attack.

The attack directly organized by Syrian regime forces was done on 21 August, 2013 at 02.45 a.m. targeting Zamelka, Douma-Harasta regions in East and West Ghouta.

The chemical weapon attacks by Assad regime were carried out by two separate centers simultaneously.

The attack was carried out with about 15-20 chemical warheads missile-rockets by the troops between 155th Missile Brigade in Qutayfa, 35 km to the north of Damascus and 4th Armored Division in Qasyoun Mountain. In the attack in Qutayfa, it is estimated that the regime used the missiles of FROG-7/Luna and/or M600. In Qasyoun, 220 mm rockets with 15-70 km-range were estimated to be used in the attack.

Does such detailed intelligence really exist? If it does, why can't we see it too?

The answer I'm afraid, lies with the most transparent administration in history being unable to keep the culture of secrets in the intelligence community in check to a reasonable degree. 

I have some more thoughts, but I'm going to put them in another post.