From Hunger

A task-force report draws fire

Rarely had a conclusion been so inconclusive. After a four-month, $320,000 probe into the extent of hunger in the U.S., the 13-member President's Task Force on Food Assistance produced a report last week that wound up by saying, "We have not been able to substantiate allegations of rampant hunger." Though the study acknowledged that some were going hungry, it insisted there was no way to determine who and how many.

A host of politicians, antipoverty groups and religious organizations swiftly denounced the findings. Their reaction blighted White House hopes that the investigation would be accepted as the "no-holds-barred...