Today the Congressional Spotlight shines on Representative Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles). Waxman's work as the ranking member of the House Government Reform Committee is a textbook example of how an individual member of Congress can cut through the spin and keep our government focused on its solemn responsibilities.
Waxman played a key role in getting the State Department to revise its assesment of the status of global terrorism.
The administration has proudly claimed that under Bush, the United States was winning the Global War on Terror. Indeed, much of Bush's reelection campaign has been staked on his high approval ratings on the GWOT. The claim that we are winning is based, in part, on a report from the State Department showing that the incidence of terrorism had reached a new low.
As it turns out, the numbers were wrong, and terrorist activities may have actually reached a new HIGH! According to this article in the LA Times, the State Department acknowledged having significantly understated the number of fatal attacks in 2003.
Whether the errors were an oversight or an intentional manipulation, our government cannot make informed policy decisions, nor can the electorate make informed decisions at the polls, based on faulty information.
Waxman has been relentless in insisting on facts and transparency, and he deserves credit. You might also want to check out his investigation into price gouging by contractors in Iraq, and his database of misleading statements made by administration officials regarding the Iraq war.