I think one aspect on a national scale (any country) is the psychology of it all. Helps to avoid mass hysteria (you know, like we occasionally see here on CC
). Installs confidence, get's the money flowing again.
I'm not justifying anything, just recognizing that Governments won't over look the important roll psychology plays in a recovery. "Fudged" numbers, even out right lies would be easy to justify given the circumstances, regardless of the party in power at the time.
As a firm DIS-BELEIVER in Machivelli's proposal "the end justifies the means" I cannot support this methodology, I simply understand it.