This
Post article appeared two days ago, but I don't recall any thorough commentary on it, so I thought I'd call it to people's attention.
It's a straight-up report on a Dean appearance in South Carolina, on the surface a simple dispatch from the campaign telling readers what he talked about. It's supposed to be "objective" or at least "balanced" reporting.
But the author is Ceci Connolly, and as
Eric Alterman (scroll down a bit) pointed out the other day, she was one of the main Heathers lying about Gore's alleged fabrications.
The most alarming bits of the article come toward the top. First, she casually calls Dean a "northeastern liberal." Then there's the kicker:
Dean boasts that he does not tailor his remarks to the audience, though there were a few notable exceptions. In this right-to-work state, he did not mention his proposal to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7, an idea that received hearty applause in Detroit on Monday.
I've seen others point to the Pickleresque quality of this graf, but I want to deconstruct a little more. First, the first sentence is a complete fabrication. Dean has repeatedly admitted that he tailors his comments to particular audiences, that in front of big crowds of grassroots types he throws red meat, but in front of smaller groups of insiders he speaks in a calmer, more discursive fashion. He's been quite open about the need to reach out more and appear more as a centrist if he wins the nomination.
Second, notice the repetition of themes here. Gore was a braggart and a liar, according to the script written in large measure by Ceci herself. Now, four years later, Ceci discovers that Dean is also a braggart ("Dean boasts"), and a liar, since Ceci has bravely exposed him as fibbing about not tailoring his message to a particular audience.
I despair.