HOWARD DEAN AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
Presidential candidate Howard Dean found himself in hot--or, at least, luke-warm--water this week when a mini-scandal broke over the records from his time as governor of Vermont. Like other politicians before him, Dean's troubles began with a Web-exclusive story by NEWSWEEK's Michael Isikoff, "What's in Howard Deans Secret Vermont Files?" Isikoff reported that investigative reporters and "oppo" researchers have had a tough time digging up dirt on Dean because of a unique seal placed on his records, "the result of an aggressive legal strategy designed in part to protect Dean from political attacks." Midweek, Howard Fineman wrote in a Web-exclusive column that Dean's clumsy handling of the records flap showed the Democratic front runner might not be "ready for prime time."
Dean has lots of friends on the Internet, and many of them wrote to express their dismay with the file flap. "It's interesting that Mr. Fineman concentrates on Dean's locked records--not a negative word about the Bush lockup of not only his files but also those of his fathers--and for a lot longer than 10 years," wrote a Columbus, Ohio, reader. Others tasted a whiff of bias in NEWSWEEK's coverage. "I thought the White House wanted Dean as the front runner," wrote one reader, "but now I wonder if they are a little concerned about his momentum. Why else would they have one of their media operatives (that's Fineman, of course) taking shots at Dean?"
http://www.msnbc.com/news/1001920.asp