By the way, you're not safer. Violent crime is going up.

Joe Sudbay (DC), AmericaBlog.com: Yes, the President who told you he'd make you safer, well he lied. Violent crime is on the rise again. This is another one of those areas where Republicans talk tough, but don't really do anything. Crime decreased dramatically during the Clinton administration. Under Bush, we're in more danger in our cities and towns. This shouldn't come as a surprise considering our top law enforcement official for the past couple years was Alberto Gonzales.

Heckuva job, Bushie:

The number of violent crimes increased by a larger amount than expected last year, extending the first significant rise in murders and robberies in a dozen years, according to an FBI report released today.

The FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program shows that robberies surged by 7.2 percent and murders rose 1.8 percent from 2005 to 2006. Violent crime overall rose 1.9 percent, notably more than an increase of 1.3 percent estimated in a preliminary FBI report in June.

The increase was the second in two years, following a 2.3 percent jump in 2005. Taken together, the two years comprise the first steady increase in violent crimes since 1993.

The FBI report presents a significant political challenge for the Bush administration, which has faced growing criticism from congressional Democrats, big-city mayors and police chiefs for presiding over cuts in federal assistance to local law enforcement agencies over the last six years.

Of course this is a significant political challenge for Bush. Every single issue is a significant political challenge for Bush. We need the Bush team to actually focus on the policy, not the politics.