That Didn't Take Long - December 19, 2003

That Didn't Take Long
"The joyous bursts of gunfire that echoed throughout parts of Iraq on Sunday are already a distant memory." - Edward Wong, December 16, the day after the Times featured the captured Hussein on its front page.


Boo-Frickity-Hoo
"Taliban Detainee Is Depressed, Lawyer Says" - Headline to Neil Lewis' story on a lawyer visiting a client in Guantanamo Bay, December 18.


Frank Rich, Relevant As Ever
"In the final installment, the pre-eminent heavy of the first two parts, the evil wizard Saruman, has vanished-as out of sight, if not mind, as Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein." - Editor Frank Rich, December 14. The lead story that morning was the capture of Hussein.


No Pleasing Some People
"I don't think the resistance movement in Iraq has very much to do with Saddam Hussein at all. And I think it obscures the fundamental issue, which is that Iraqis are chafing against U.S. occupation." - Anti-war reporter Chris Hedges, commenting on Saddam's capture on the left-wing website TomPaine.com, December 16.


As Opposed To Those Who Believe
"Those who believe that pregnancy begins with fertilization say the pills in doing this can induce abortions." - Gina Kolata, December 17.


"Doggedly Centrist" Lieberman
"Mr. Gore appears to have moved well to the left of the Democratic spectrum since he chose the doggedly centrist, hawkish Mr. Lieberman as his running mate." - Todd Purdum, December 14.


Pheasantgate
"A lot of other people noticed the fallen birds: hunters who pursue birds in the wild, the Democratic presidential candidates and the Humane Society of the United States, which likened the shootings to the first day of the Iraq war....[Dick] Cheney often hunts in the wild, and his office would not discuss how frequently he shoots pen-raised birds at private clubs." - Elisabeth Bumiller, December 15.