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Friday, October 29, 2004
"I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M LOSING TO
THIS GUY." That's what Jon "Mike Dukakis" Lovitz said about Dana
"George Bush" Carvey 16 years ago. And it's what John Kerry ought to
be saying about George W. Bush today.
No, Kerry's not exactly losing. The
polls
are very close (though Kerry's behind in all of them), and there are
trends that work in Kerry's favor: the fact that undecideds tend to
break for the challenger, and the enormous voter-registration efforts
made by Democratic groups. Media Log is predicting that Kerry will
squeak out a victory. But I say that with full knowledge that the
numbers suggest otherwise. All this despite another mind-blowing week
underscoring the incompetence and perniciousness of the Bush
administration.
The big news of the week, of
course, is that the Pentagon allowed 380 tons of incredibly dangerous
explosives to slip through its grasp following the invasion of Iraq.
The White House has been spinning like mad all week. Just yesterday,
Bush denounced Kerry's "wild
charges." But now a
videotape has turned up containing incontrovertible
proof that the US military
moved through the compound in April 2003, happened upon what was
likely a vast store of explosives, and - lacking orders to do
anything about it - moved on.
Josh
Marshall has been on this
like a lamprey eel on a lake trout. Be sure to read his account of
former weapons inspector David Kay's interview with CNN's Aaron
Brown.
But if the missing explosives is
the most important story, it's far from the only one.
The Bushies are trying to take away
the
NAACP's tax exemption,
because chairman Julian Bond had the temerity to speak out against
the Great Leader, and because the Republicans can't bring back the
poll
tax until the second term,
after they've replaced a few justices on the Supreme
Court.
Dick Cheney's old company,
Halliburton,
on whose payroll he remains, is under criminal
investigation.
A new study suggests that
100,000
Iraqi civilians died for
what Cheney calls a "remarkable success story."
And the flagging campaign of
Kentucky senator Jim Bunning, a Republican whose re-election is key
to the GOP maintaining its majority, is taunting Democratic opponent
Daniel Mongiardo as one of them "limp-wristed"
guys, if you follow their drift.
All of which is why Kerry ought to
be saying: I can't believe I'm losing to this guy.
Three more days to change
that.
PAGING JOE FITZGERALD! The
Boston Herald's selectively outraged ethics
cop needs to be heard from.
Today the Herald runs a story
about the arrest of Mathew Westling, the son of former Boston
University president Jon Westling, who was charged with acting up in
Kenmore Square after the Red Sox' World Series victory. The
Herald's headline: "Son of BU Ex-Prez Strikes Out with
Police."
Oh, my. Isn't that exactly
what got Joe Fitz so upset with the Globe when it noted in a
subhead that Joe Nee - charged in the South Shore Columbine wanna-be
case - was the son of Boston police union president Tom
Nee?
Why, yes it is! Here's what Joe
Fitz wrote just eight days ago: "What did this father's job have to
do with his kid's alleged offense? How were the two in any way
connected, let alone worthy of such attention?" That Fitzgerald
column was headlined, "Globe's Headline Hit Way Below the
Belt."
It will be fascinating to see
whether Fitzgerald displays equal empathy for the Westling
family.
posted at 1:58 PM |
4 comments
|
link
4 Comments:
Zogby will look awfully good if Kerry wins, and awfully bad if Bush does.
You honestly think Joe Fitz is going to take on his bosses? Sure, the day after you criticize Maria Lopez's ability to keep an eye on the kids.Jeez, DC, you're pissed off about pretty much everything today. Perhaps a bran muffin would help?
Didn't Zogby get the midterm 2002 elections wrong? Any way, about the 100,000 dead in Iraq, Slate doesn't buy it.
John,
you be the judge.
"Most organizations conducted polls in only one or two states. They accounted for 95 of the 159 polls. Five organizations conducted 64 polls. These organizations worked in three or more states. Mason-Dixon did the greatest number. They conducted 23 polls in 16 states. Only one of their polls had the wrong candidate winning. Zogby International did 17 polls in 12 states, and had 5 incorrect winners."
Full article, including nifty table.
MEDIA LOG ARCHIVES
Dan Kennedy is senior writer and media critic for the Boston Phoenix.
