New Ways to Rationalize Failure

I need to remember to act like Intelligence Tsar (I prefer this spelling to "czar") John Negroponte whenever my policies are roundly criticized by leading experts in the field. The following is his response to a new intelligence report that states that the war in Iraq has increased the threat of terrorism:

"What we have said, time and again, is that while there is much that remains to be done in the war on terror, we have achieved some notable successes against the global jihadist threat," Negroponte said in a statement. "The conclusions of the intelligence community are designed to be comprehensive, and viewing them through the narrow prism of a fraction of judgments distorts the broad framework they create."

Look, I don't disagree with everyting the administration is doing to fight terrorism. But to consistently have this back and forth of "Iraq is the central front in the War on Terror" and then have statements which essentially say, "Ignore Iraq. Look at these successes," it is pure double speak. How can I believe two contradictory thoughts at once? Or is my brain just looking through too narrow a prism that is distorting the broad framework of half-truths and lies?