Hot Docs: Did Bush White House 'Airbrush' Iraq War History?, Cancer Rates Declining

Is the White House "Airbrushing History?": The White House has posted at least five different versions of a document pertaining to the Iraq war on its website and several of these drafts have been altered or removed from the Web at some time, with no notation that the content has been changed. In a report called "Airbrushing History, American Style," the Cline Center for Democracy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign tracks changes to a list of countries aligned with the "coalition of the willing" that actively support U.S. military operations in Iraq. Although only 45 countries had signed on at the time of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, "later deletions and revisions to key documents make it seem that there were always 49." Whether the alterations were part of a "whitewashing campaign" or just "inappropriate archival practices," the Cline Center report is critical of the practice: "Updating lists to keep up with the times is one thing. Deleting original documents from the White House archives is another. Back-dating later documents and using them to replace the originals goes beyond irresponsible stewardship of the public record. It is rewriting history." Anticipating critics who may ask why "small changes to an old list" are important, the authors note that this example may indicate larger problems: "If so much energy was focused on reshaping the names and number of coalition countries, one can only imagine what might have been done to higher-profile or more sensitive content on the White House website." The stakes are high, they say: "Whether by design or neglect, the result is the same: The removals and revisions of White House documents distort the historical record of what our government has said and done."

Cancer Rates on the Decline: The number of Americans receiving a diagnosis of cancer or dying from the disease has decreased since 2001, new statistics show. Scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several major cancer research groups have released their "Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer," which is being published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. It's the first time the group has reported "a decline in both the incidence and the death rates from all cancers combined in both men and women." Much of the decline is due to progress against several particularly common types of cancer: lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer cases have shown marked decreases. One worrying note: The number of women with lung cancer actually increased in 18 states where smoking is more common, leading the researchers to highlight "the need to maintain and strengthen many state tobacco control programs."

Building a New "Hemispheric Partnership": The United States and Latin American countries share many mutual interests and should engage in a "hemispheric partnership" to address issues like climate change, immigration, and economic growth, a panel of experts advises. Failing to work together, they warn, would result in "growing risks and missed opportunities" for the region. The report is the work of the Partnership for the Americas Commission, a group of decision makers from the United States and Latin America convened by the Brookings Institution. They prescribe some "modest, pragmatic" steps that could get the countries working together to improve free trade, promote renewable energy, manage immigration policy, and enforce drug laws. The report also touches briefly on U.S.-Cuba relations and, while not recommending a lift of the current trade embargo, it does advise relaxing restrictions somewhat: allowing Americans to travel to the island, renewing diplomatic relations, and allowing humanitarian aid to Cuban citizens.

Food Stamp Usage Jumps: The number of Americans receiving food stamps has jumped by over 3 million, according to statistics released by the Food Research and Action Center, a nonprofit, antihunger organization. According to the organization, government statistics show that in April 2007 there were 26.3 million people seeking help from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the new government name for the food stamp program. In August 2008, the last month for which statistics have been released, the number jumped to 29.5 million. In half of the states, 1 in 10 residents was receiving food stamps, and in 14 of those states, the number was 1 in 8. Areas with the highest percentage of people on food stamps—at least 15.5 percent of the population—were Mississippi, the District of Columbia, Missouri, Louisiana, and West Virginia.