August 13,
2004
"Is the New York Times a Liberal Newspaper? Of course it is."
- NYT Public Editor Daniel Okrent, July 25, 2004.
Paul Krugman: Confessions of Bush-Hater
"The fundamental fact of American politics-and Ive sharpened my view on this since last year and the hardcover edition of the book-is that weve got an alliance between the religious right and the accumulators of great wealth. Those are the people who are running things....As for Tom DeLay, he is a fanatically religious person because thats who he is, and hes a fanatical supporter of the interests of the money, because thats where the money is-the money and the political support.It scares me sometimes how blind people are."
- Columnist Paul Krugman in an interview with the far-left website Buzzflash, August 6.
"Can we break the machine that is imposing right-wing radicalism on the United States? The scariest part is that the media is part of that machine. There will have to be some kind of reckoning soon, a possible Watergate moment to come.Things aren't all the way unraveled yetand alternative scenarios still exist. We need above all sunlight! We need to see what is actually going on. When are people going to wake up?"
- Columnist Paul Krugman in an interview with the far-left website MediaChannel, August 6.
"Nuanced" Kerry vs. A "Mocking" Bush
"For Now, Bush's Mocking Drowns Out Kerry's Nuanced Explanation of His War
Vote."
- headline to David Sanger's August 12 story.
Enter Dowdworld at Your Own Risk
"[Bush] has the good father, who is his own dad, who believed in internationalism and the Atlantic alliance and doing things with the allies and coalitions. And then you have the bad, dark father, Darth Vader, which is Dick Cheney, and he sort of led the president down this gloomy, dark, paranoid path of unilateralism and sort of bullying the world."
- Columnist Maureen Dowd promoting her book "Bushworld" on the CBS Early Show August 10.
Poisoning the Well for Porter Goss
"Despite Mr. Goss's long history of close ties to the C.I.A., his recent actions, particularly his public criticism of Mr. Tenet's management, have angered a number of senior C.I.A. officials, which could make it difficult for him to work with many of the holdovers from the Tenet era."
- Joel Brinkley and James Risen on Rep. Porter Goss, Bush's pick to head the CIA, August 11.
"In the last two months Mr. Goss has engendered considerable ill will within the very organization he has been tapped to lead, by declaring in a committee report in June that the CIA has been 'ignoring its core mission' and was in 'dysfunctional denial of any need for corrective action.'"
- David Sanger, August 11.
John Edwards, Rock Star
"Dispensing with the normal series of introductory speeches, Larry Gates, chairman of the state's Democratic Party, spoke only a few words before declaring, 'You're a rock star in Kansas, Elizabeth [Edwards].' The Edwardses and their children, Cate, 22, Jack, 4, and Emma Claire, 6, took to the stage. Jack and Emma Claire waved American flags. 'Y'all called this rally and we're glad to be here with you,' Mrs. Edwards said, as members of the audience let loose screams worthy of a rock concert. Following his wife to the microphone, Mr. Edwards declared every state worthy of campaigning."
- Thomas Crampton on the campaign trail with John Edwards in Kansas, August 9.
Kerry Basking in the Center,
Bush Struggling on the Right
"Indeed, while Democrats note that Mr. Bush continues to talk about banning gay marriage and late-term abortions, and to visit bedrock Republican areas of the country like Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Mr. Kerry, the Democrat from Massachusetts, is rolling through the Great Plains and the high plateaus of the Southwest preaching fiscal responsibility, tax cuts, gun owners' rights and national security. In his choice of themes and in his tone, Mr. Kerry is running straight up the middle, as polls show he has solidified his backing among Democrats, with more of his supporters now saying they are voting for him as opposed to voting against Mr. Bush."
- Thomas Halbfinger, August 8.
Is Bush Giving Us All the Facts?
Let's Ask Clinton's Press Secretary
"Among many of the administration's critics and even, to a more limited degree, among some of its allies, Mr. Ridge's performance was seen as fueling disbelief and cynicism. 'This episode certainly undermines the credibility of Secretary Ridge whether it was his fault or not,' said Joe Lockhart, who was press secretary to President Bill Clinton. 'He was the guy who stood up there and omitted some pretty important facts.'"
- David Johnston and Richard Stevenson, August 8.
Yet Another "Blow to Bush"
"For President Bush, the new evidence creates a nettlesome political situation, making it harder for him to cite strong job gains as proof that the tax cuts he championed at the start of his term were the best cure for the economy's problems. The weak increases of the last two months now mean that Mr. Bush is highly likely to stand for re-election with an employment level lower than it was on his Inauguration Day. That would be the first time that has happened since 1932, when the country was mired in the Depression and enduring far worse job losses than any it has experienced recently."
- From David Leonhardt's August 7 front-page story, the online headline to which blares, "In Blow to Bush, Only 32,000 Jobs Created in July."
Easily Freaked Librarians vs. "Big Brother"
"Whether federal agents are monitoring reading habits or not, the newfound power to do so has already had an effect on how people use their libraries, Ms. Sheketoff, the library association official, said, citing evidence from fellow librarians. Many libraries have posted notices saying that because of the law, they cannot protect the privacy of patrons' reading habits. 'If you live in Detroit, and have olive skin, are you going to go into the library and check out a book on the Koran?' Ms. Sheketoff asked."
- Timothy Egan in a story on the Patriot Act titled "Sensing the Eyes of Big Brother, and Pushing Back-Towns Speak Up Against Patriot Act," August 8.
