September
17,
2004
Kitty Kelley's "Thoroughly Researched Piece of Work"
"More than 600 pages long, the Bush book is in many ways a thoroughly researched piece of work. Ms. Kelley clearly devoured and digested the extant literature on the family, and she recounts its history in a narrative that is largely unremarkable."
- Frank Bruni in a profile of trash biographer Kitty Kelley, September 16.
Huh?
"Memos on Bush Are Fake But Accurate, Typist Says"
- Headline to September 15 story on CBS's discredited Bush "memos."
Why Should Kerry Have to Denounce
MoveOn.org?
"Bush campaign officials immediately sought to paint the image in the advertisement as a soldier surrendering and called upon Senator John Kerry to denounce the advertisement even though it was created and run by a third-party advocacy group."
- Glen Justice, September 17.
vs.
Why Won't Bush Denounce the Swift Boat Vets?
"The advertisements questioning Mr. Kerry's war record, the work of a 527 group of Swift boat veterans, were largely financed, at least initially, by rich Texas Republicans, some with past links to Mr. Bush. But Mr. Bush has never specifically condemned the Swift boat commercial, confining himself to a mild statement that Mr. Kerry served honorably."
- R.W. Apple, August 31.
Bush and Blair's "Headlong Rush" to War
"And, in history's gaze, how will these two unlikely partners be judged for their headlong rush to Baghdad?"
- From foreign correspondent Alan Cowell's September 15 review of a Tony Blair biography.
Seeing No Bias in Hollywood
"'Rated R: Republicans in Hollywood,' a documentary tonight on AMC, examines politics in the entertainment industry at a time when the White House and Congress are in Republican hands, conservatives dominate the Supreme Court, Arnold Schwarzenegger is governor of California and Mel Gibson's 'Passion of the Christ' triumphed at the box office. Now it turns out that even the avant-garde filmmaker Vincent Gallo supports George W. Bush. If there is a blacklist, where is the sign-up sheet? There is no studio ban on Republicans, of course, but certain conservatives have been dining out for decades on what they describe as a Hollywood witch hunt."
- TV critic Alessandra Stanley on a new documentary about Republicans in Hollywood, September 14.
The "Ever-Charismatic" Cuban Dictator
"President Fidel Castro was on the air much of the time, listening to high-ranking officers report from around the country about conditions and preparedness. In the morning, the aging but ever-charismatic president told reporters that he was grateful for the 'kind attitude' of the hurricane in bypassing Cuba. He told reporters that his country had stood against threats of nuclear attack, and decades of economic sanctions. 'This storm,' he said, 'only renews our strength and our solidarity.' Watching Mr. Castro, a television anchor commented, 'Always on the front lines of combat.'"
- Ginger Thompson and Felicity Barringer, September 14.
Anti-War Play "Not Half As Scary As the Real Thing"
"Adjoa Andoh's caustic Condoleezza Rice, Dermot Crowley's bull-terrierish Rumsfeld and Desmond Barrit's lizardlike Dick Cheney: they're all rendered as manipulative gargoyles. They're intermittently entertaining but not half as scary as the real thing."
- Theatre critic Ben Brantley on an anti-war play on the London stage, September 13.
What Brought This Reagan Attack On?
"Compared with a prestige stinker of the era like 'Ordinary People,' this raunchy teen comedy was unaffected by the infantilization that was starting to take over American movies-one movie that resisted the false dawn of Reagan's morning in America."
- From Charles Taylor's September 12 review of the new DVD of the 1982 teen comedy "Fast Times At Ridgemont High."
Democrats Are Just Too Nice
"Do Republicans play a rougher game of politics than Democrats? The question has been tossed around since Vice President Dick Cheney, in apparently unscripted remarks, suggested last week that electing the Democratic ticket in November would invite a devastating terrorist attack. The Democrats cried foul, but of course there's no referee in politics. And neither party has a monopoly on ruthless, unscrupulous campaigning. It just seems that the Republicans are, today at least, more adept at the black art of attack politics, according to historians and flummoxed Democratic partisans."
- Reporter John Broder, September 12 Week in Review.
American "Arrogance and Excess" While
Protecting Embassy?
"At a time when many ordinary Britons are enraged by American foreign policy and dismayed by tighter visa requirements-forcing them for the first time to visit the embassy in person, brave the fortified perimeter and wait for hours as their applications are processed-the scary-looking eyesore in this otherwise elegant area has become, to some, a symbol not just of American vulnerability, but also of its arrogance and excess."
- London-based reporter Sarah Lyall, September 17.
Blame Bush for Beslan Massacre?
"After 9/11, Americans want tough guys who will protect them from Al Qaeda. They seem to be willing to settle for an impersonation of tough guys by Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney, who were so busy with their vanity war in Iraq that they missed critical opportunities to vanquish Al Qaeda and spent money on a foreign occupation that could have been used to secure American ports and come up with plans before the Beslan tragedy to protect children from terrorists."
- Columnist Maureen Dowd, September 12.
He Doesn't Know Us Very Well, Does He?
"Although many news-media watchdogs take business reporters to task for biases, few say the problem stems from a political slant."
- From economics reporter Eduardo Porter's September 12 column.
