State Dept. Concedes twisting of facts on Terrorism

Making the world safe for a re-election campaign, and not much else:

"Two months ago, the Bush administration released its annual report card on counterterrorism and gave itself an A. The number of terrorist attacks around the globe, according to the State Department report called 'Patterns of Global Terrorism,' was at the lowest ebb in the past 34 years."

" ... Not long afterward, however, the report was pilloried by academics, a lawmaker and others. They said its math defied the reality of a steady growth in the number and significance of terrorist attacks in 2003, as well as the worst type of attacks spreading from just a few countries to at least 10 ... Yesterday, after reviewing the matter more carefully, the department formally conceded it made a few mistakes."