Political Quotes

“finally, today, the State Department will release the complete and authoritative report on the ``Patterns of Global Terrorism,'' a correction requested by our colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman). The original report issued by Secretary Powell claimed terrorist incidents hit their lowest level in 34 years; but, in fact, terrorist attacks were at their highest in 20 years. A funny thing happened on the way to the printer. Unfortunately, this is not the first, second, or even the third time, for that matter, that a Bush Cabinet Secretary is having to rewrite a report from their own department. Time and again, Bush Cabinet Secretaries have been forced to abandon their own report after public scrutiny. Whether it is a State Department report on terrorism, inaccurate reports published by Health and Human Services on racial disparities in health care, the cost of the Medicare prescription drug bill, or the EPA's mercury report, each time one thing in common happens: the first draft reflects the administration's ideology and political objectives, and the rewrite reflects the facts. The final draft reflects the facts, and as Ronald Reagan used to say, facts are a stubborn thing. It appears that a pattern exists of either gross incompetence or gross political manipulation, and neither is worthy of a Cabinet Secretary. Mr. Speaker, today we welcome Secretary Powell's report in coming clean on the true facts on the war on terrorism.”