LINK.

This is exactly it... a lot of folks know what the programming folks were doing... the public doesn't, only the result.
So far. The truth almost always comes out eventually. The problem is that in this era of instant gratification everyone wants what they want when they want it. Some things you just have to wait for -- and the usually reasonable performance of the US Governmental process is one that you'll always have to wait for, it's slow. By design...

In any event, it'll come trickling out, there will indeed be Hearings as pet Oxen are being gored and Rice Bowls broken (A good thing IMO) so Congroids will have to grandstand, pundit military wannabes will predict doom -- and in the end all will be known and it'll probably work out for the best as it most always does.
I agree that keeping the debate internal is better than using the media/congress to get what you want.
So do I, which was my point; thus I'm not sure I understand the upset of you two Blue Suited Gentlemen???

Unless it's possibly the facts that a Service is having obvious identity problems (as all of them have periodically), Gates fired some folks -- and he may have possibly outflanked Congress and some rice bowl salesmen. Like the guys said, time to move on...