Notable Quotables - 12/26/1988
Pro-Life Lobby
"Word is the
Sullivan appointment's on hold until the Bush people can calm the pro-life
lobby. That could make for a long delay, and Dr. Sullivan deserves better than
sitting in the waiting room gathering dust. What Bush ought to do is defy the
pro-life lobby and get on with the appointment."
- CNN's Frederick Allen, December 20.
CBS News in Cuba
"Now half of the
Cuban population is under the age of 25, mostly Spanish speaking, and all have
benefited from Castro's Cuba, where their health and their education are
priorities....Going around Havana, it's easy to see buildings in disrepair,
the food rationing, and limited freedom of dissent, but Cubans are most proud
of their schools - almost everyone can read here - and they are most proud
of their medical care - free for everyone....If you ask Cubans how they
benefit most from their form of government, they're likely to tell you about
buildings like this one in Havana. It is a Polyclinic, and it is the heart of
a health care system which has been called a 'revolution within a revolution.'
Of all the promises made by Fidel Castro in 1959, perhaps the boldest was to
provide quality health care free for every citizen. Did he deliver? In many
ways the answer is yes!"
- Kathleen Sullivan from Havana on CBS This Morning, December 9.
The Washington Times
"'When you see an
exclusive story in the Moonie paper, you think: I wonder if that's really
true,' says a Washington reporter for a major newspaper chain. 'When you see
the same kind of story in the Post or another established newspaper,
you assume it's true.'"
- From a December Washington Journalism Review article by former AP
and Washington Times reporter Gene Grabowski.
Politics and the Media
"Politics is an
honorable profession, and journalism is an honorable trade. The question
raised by Mr. [David] Broder last week is whether the incessant bed-hopping
between the two is doing damage to the image of independence we cultivate and
cherish. The answer is yes. It causes, as Mr. Broder said, the loss of our
distinctive identity. We are seen not as untainted critics in the audience,
but as actors playing leading roles on the political stage."
- Washington Post Ombudsman Richard Harwood, December 4.
Campaign '88
"The candidates
this time around were more willing to color or twist the facts to their own
advantage, especially in the case of Mr. Bush and Mr. Quayle."
- ABC reporter James Wooten quoted in the November 28 Electronic Media.
Walter Cronkite
"I know liberalism
isn't dead in this country. It simply has, temporarily we hope, lost its
voice....We know that unilateral action in Grenada and Tripoli was wrong. We
know that 'Star Wars' means uncontrollable escalation of the arms race. We
know that the real threat to democracy is the half of the nation in poverty.
We know that no one should tell a woman she has to bear an unwanted child....Gawd
Almighty, we've got to shout these truths in which we believe from the
housetops. Like that scene in the movie 'Network,' we've got to throw open our
windows and shout these truths to the streets and the heavens. And I bet we'll
find more windows are thrown open to join the chorus than we'd ever dreamed
possible."
- former CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite, at a November People for the
American Way banquet. Quoted in the December 5 Newsweek.
The Economy
"After a pause,
Americans are really spending again. Retail sales rising in November for the
second straight month, up this time 1.1 percent, to more than $138
billion....With unemployment down near a fourteen year low, Americans feel
more confident."
- Reporter Ray Brady on the December 13 CBS Evening News.
"Merchants are
pulling out all the stops to head off disaster, including early mark-downs and
gimmicks...What's more, after six years without a recession, and heavy
consumer spending, people are worried about the economy and prices are higher.
- Irving R. Levine on NBC Nightly News, December 16.
"Economy Creates
463,000 Jobs, Raising Inflation Fear"
- The Washington Post, December 3.
Gorbymania
"Imagine a world
where everyone is guaranteed freedom of choice, where all nations work
together with space technology to protect the environment, where poor
countries are forgiven their debts, and where nations trust one another enough
to unilaterally reduce their armed forces. Who would dare to dream such a
dream?...In his first speech before the United Nations, Soviet leader
Gorbachev dropped a diplomatic bombshell by making a global appeal to
peace."
- Ted Koppel opening the December 7 Nightline.
Defense Cuts
"After years of
being the almost invisible understudy, Bush has leaped onto center stage. But
in taking the lead, he's stuck with all the problems he avoided during the
campaign: enormous deficits, a collapsing dollar, jittery markets, the need
for massive cuts in defense."
- Andrea Mitchell on NBC Nightly News, November 27.
Quote of the Month
"The reason that
I've been appearing frequently on national TV is because apparently the media
think that I'm right."
- "American Atheists" spokesman Robert Sherman, appearing on CNN's Crossfire,
December 20.
- L. Brent
Bozell III; Publisher
- Brent H. Baker, Tim Graham; Editors
- Jim Heiser, Richard Marois, Patrick Swan, Dorothy Warner; Media Analysts
- Cynthia Bulman; Administrative Assistant
