Let's cut right to the chase.

A report released by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights earlier this month concluded, "President Bush has neither exhibited leadership on pressing civil rights issues, nor taken actions that matched his words."

And that was the nice part.

About three years ago, the commission instructed its professional staff to analyze and report on the administration's civil rights record. They wrapped up the first draft of "Redefining Rights in America: The Civil Rights Record of the George W. Bush Administration, 2001-2004" in September and put it on the commission's Web site.

The Web posting was the commission's idea. The panel members were worried about selective leaks, and their solution was to direct that the whole kit and caboodle be made available to everyone as soon as the last pixel was dry. If there are no secrets, there's nothing worth leaking. Refreshing concept.

When they read the report, the three Republican political appointees — there are also three Democrats and two independents on the commission — had second thoughts. They wanted to keep the unflattering report under wraps until after the election.

They were outvoted, so you can still read all 180 pages on the commission's Web site, www.usccr.gov. I recommend you do.

One of the most intriguing parts of the report for a numbers junkie like me was a statistical analysis of the president's statements on civil rights.

Between January 2001 and December 2003 George W. Bush made 153 statements that included the words "civil rights," "discrimination" or "diversity." Only 27 of these statements, the report found, included mention of any plan or program; the rest were holiday proclamations or general platitudes.

Of the 27 statements, 15 referred to the faith-based initiative, a program that channels social service money to religious programs. The president touted this as a civil rights program that ended discrimination against religious groups.

Not true, the commission's report commented. The initiative eroded civil rights by allowing religious organizations to discriminate in employment based on such factors as church membership.

The president also has avoided conferring with civil rights leaders and groups. The last time he met with the NAACP, the report notes, was during the 2000 campaign. He has declined invitations to their national conventions and has never conferred with their leadership, as has every president since Franklin Roosevelt.

He met with the Congressional Black Caucus only once in almost four years. The situation is similar for other civil rights groups. They're not on his dance card.

The report favors promoting civil rights programs and enforcement, as one would expect from a civil rights commission. Its bias, if there is one, is not a partisan one. In its historical overview it praises Papa Bush for pushing through the Americans with Disabilities Act and faults Bill Clinton for being all talk and little action.

Here are some of their specific criticisms:

No Child Left Behind: "The lowest performing schools are also the poorest ... however, President Bush has not aggressively pushed for increased funding."

Voting rights: "The administration seated the federal election reform oversight commission 11 months behind schedule, resulting in delayed fund distribution to the states. Consequently, states did not have the equipment, infrastructure, or guidance they needed ... including implementation of statewide voter registration databases, development of voter complaint procedures, and installation of new voting equipment."

Fair housing: "The president outlined a plan to eliminate billions of dollars from programs to help low-income and disabled persons pay for housing through rent vouchers."

Hate crimes: "President Bush has further stated that 'all violent crimes are crimes of hate,' a view which does not acknowledge the bias associated with such acts."

Native Americans: "In 2003 President Bush terminated funding for critical law enforcement programs, including the Tribal Drug Court Program. Experts agree that problems with the criminal justice system in Indian Country are serious and understated."

Hispanic underrepresentation: "Hispanics represent roughly 13 percent of the U.S. population, but only 6.9 percent of the federal work force. Hispanic women are even more underrepresented, comprising only 2.9 percent of all federal employees."