Issues Management at the Pentagon

Good story on the front page of the New York Times outlining the Pentagon's efforts at issues management around the growing critique from retired generals about Donald Rumsfeld. It's a classic technique of engaging third party validators and giving them the information they need to make the case.

Review it and analyze whether this techique is likely to work. Think about what they are trying to do. Is it legitimate? What goal will it achieve? What risk does it entail? How did it get on the front page?