The must-read of today is the Salon article about the "Media vs. Dean, a detailed account on how the mainstream media tries to create the image of an "angry man". Additionally, for the latte-drinking folks out there, today's Salon Free Day Pass is presented by VOLVO; I couldn't stop laughing.
Another great article today is the Paul Krugman's NY Times colum about "The awful truth":
People are saying terrible things about George Bush. They say that his officials weren't sincere about pledges to balance the budget. They say that the planning for an invasion of Iraq began seven months before 9/11, that there was never any good evidence that Iraq was a threat and that the war actually undermined the fight against terrorism.
But these irrational Bush haters are body-piercing, Hollywood-loving, left-wing freaks who should go back where they came from: the executive offices of Alcoa, and the halls of the Army War College. [...]
The point is that the credentials of the critics just keep getting better. How can Howard Dean's assertion that the capture of Saddam hasn't made us safer be dismissed as bizarre, when a report published by the Army War College says that the war in Iraq was a "detour" that undermined the fight against terror? How can charges by Wesley Clark and others that the administration was looking for an excuse to invade Iraq be dismissed as paranoid in the light of Mr. O'Neill's revelations?"
Richard Cohen published a lukewarm column about Dean today, agreeing with him, but stressing the point of ineluctability:
"In this respect, Dean reminds me of Al Gore, who sometimes went in for self-aggrandizement, a trait not unknown in politics. After a while, it seemed anything he said in the 2000 campaign got vetted by a standard not applied to other politicians -- from his role in exposing the pollution of Love Canal to his role in developing the Internet to his role as being a fictitious character in the book and movie "Love Story." Gore adhered to virtual truth in all these matters, but somehow his every claim became a tall story. Much of the time, he was right.
With both Gore and Dean, the caricature is based on some truth. Gore did sometimes tweak the facts; Dean does sometimes talk before he thinks and he stomps on his own message. But some of the time, he does think and what he says reflects thought -- but of the unorthodox kind. He said something worthwhile about Saddam Hussein's capture and something reasonable about the Iowa caucuses. The truth is supposed to make you free. In politics, it will make you unemployed. "
I found it especially interesting to read is article in the light of Salon's analysis.
I found two interesting profiles today. The first is Jodi Wilogren's profile about Judith Steinberg Dean:
Watching one of the nationally televised presidential debates at Dr. Dean's headquarters here, Dr. Steinberg laughed at her husband's old jokes, clapped when he scored a zinger and cringed as he tried a line she hated about how he did not become a teacher because of the long hours standing without bathroom breaks -- a line he soon stopped using. In their nightly telephone chats, Dr. Dean calls his wife "Sweetie" as she updates him on everything from their two children to his dry cleaning.
"I do not intend to drag her around because I think I need her as a prop on the campaign trail," Dr. Dean said last week in Iowa. "If she wanted to do it, it'd be great, but she doesn't want to do it, and therefore if she does do it, it won't be great. I just think she should do what she needs to do for her own happiness and satisfaction." [...]
"The whole thing has just struck me as a little odd," said Myra Gutin, who has taught a course on first ladies at Rider University in New Jersey for 20 years. "There may be some voters out there who say, `well, why isn't she here? Why isn't she supporting him?' It's the most outward manifestation of support."
In her book, "The President's Partner: The First Lady in the 20th Century," Ms. Gutin outlined three broad categories: "ceremonial" (Bess Truman, Mamie Eisenhower), whose White House role was mainly entertaining; "emerging spokeswoman" (Jacqueline Kennedy, Pat Nixon), who seized the podium to promote issues important to them; and "activist" (Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford). Dr. Steinberg, she said, fits nowhere."
Anyway, did anyone find Drudg's announced article by Adam Nagourney about the Dean campaign failing in Iowa? I didn't see it.
The LA Times however, have a nice profile on how Dean developed after he became the successor of Richard Snelling, exploring his moderate record:
"Dean hung tough long after the state broke even. By 2001, Vermont had won the highest bond rating in New England. The state is one of only five in the country that retains a surplus, buffered from the recent national chain reaction of budget implosions.
Even stalwart Republicans grudgingly acknowledge the lasting nature of Dean's move to the center. "In the context of Vermont politics, he was definitely middle-of-the-road," said Garahan, until recently chairman of the state Republican organization.
Emboldened by electoral success, Dean would later augment his austerity program with a landmark health insurance program for children and conservation of hundreds of thousands of forest acres. "If you ask me the question, I'll tell you I'm a centrist," he said. "Truth is, I'm all over the place."
In other news:
The Washington Post has a front-page article about Dean going on offensive in Iowa.
Also in the Post, Jim VandeHei reports about Dean defending his race record.
And the Demo Derby sees Dean still leading "by a nose".
There is a wonderful article in the Christian Science Monitor about volunteers in the campaigns:
"The last time Sam Gerace volunteered for a political campaign was in 1964, and the politician was Barry Goldwater. But on Friday the retired lawyer and two friends piled into his blue Volvo in Pittsburgh and drove halfway across the country, to campaign door to door for Howard Dean."
Please add any other story you found as a comment. I myself, will be gone until Saturday.
Have a nice day.
