I'm torn on this one... I think the release announcement should be done before the release (with time to properly review it, etc.).  That being said, I'm afraid that all this proposal will do is shift the last-minute scramble to the Go/No-Go meeting itself.  I'd rather look for a solution that fundamentally makes the situation better, rather than just shifting the timing.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to come up with a better proposal :-(

-Jared