I agree with Jim Robbins that the US needs to be extremely careful when it comes to compromising sources and methods. The consequences for American sources inside Iraq have to include the brutal rape and torture of their entire extended families and a slow death for the “traitor.” And, obviously burning a source of good intelligence has strategic consequences as well.

That said, if there’s evidence that can change the domestic and global dynamic the US needs to do what it can to present it. If that means smuggling some people out of Iraq, we should get with it. The political reality is that the Bush Administration has allowed — perhaps for good reason — the climate to get to the point where the intelligence will be useless because we won’t use it to topple Saddam.