Condi's still a lying liar

Ah, the hits just keep on coming. This just in from overseas, cause you can't get real news from the National Desk anymore.

Rice changed terrorism report

Julian Borger

04/23/05 "The Guardian" - - A state department report which showed an increase in terrorism incidents around the world in 2004 was altered to strip it of its pessimistic statistics, it emerged yesterday.

The country-by-country report, Patterns of Global Terrorism, has come out every year since 1986, accompanied by statistical tables.

This year's edition showed a big increase, from 172 significant terrorist attacks in 2003 to 655 in 2004.

Much of the increase took place in Iraq, contradicting recent Pentagon claims that the insurgency there is waning.

Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, ordered the report to be withdrawn and a new one issued minus the statistics.

A Democratic congressman, Henry Waxman, has written an angry letter about the change to Cameron Hume, the state department's inspector general, arguing that Ms Rice's decision "denies the public access to important information about the incidence of terrorism".

Mr Waxman said: "There appears to be a pattern in the administration's approach to terrorism data: favourable facts are revealed while unfavourable facts are suppressed."

Ms Rice's spokesman, Richard Boucher, denied the change was politically inspired and said Ms Rice had decided the statistics would be better handled by the national counter-terrorism centre.

However, intelligence officials said there were no immediate plans to publish the figures.

Copyright: The Guardian.

Really; why bother? It's just going to show that terrorism has increased since Bush assumed office.

The journalists are still dying

Focus English News is reporting that the AP Bureau Chief in Mosul has just been killed:

According to the information the journalist was killed while he was performing his work duties, in exchange of fire between US soldiers and Iraqi insurgents.

Friendly fucking fire, my ass.