"Third, the Democrats have done a good job persuading the public not to follow the Administration's lead.
"Fourth, the media have done a poor job explaining to the public what is important to care about -- or, the media have done a good job explaining what is really important.
"Fifth, voters and the voting process do not produce outcomes that the majority of the public prefers.
"Sixth, the media blitz of 2004 overwhelmed the public; in its absence, the public can form its own views about what is important.
"Seventh, the polls are wrong; the polled don't care much really because there's no decision to be made by them right now; public opinion doesn't matter much anyhow; an elite runs the world."
Well, that pretty much covers the map.
With the ombudspersons of both the NYT and the WP having chided their papers for not doing more on the Downing Street Memo, it's clear the press dropped the ball. Here's the explanation from USA Today:
"USA TODAY chose not to publish anything about the memo before today for several reasons, says Jim Cox, the newspaper's senior assignment editor for foreign news. 'We could not obtain the memo or a copy of it from a reliable source,' Cox says. 'There was no explicit confirmation of its authenticity from (Blair's office). And it was disclosed four days before the British elections, raising concerns about the timing.'"
My reaction: Copy or no copy, Blair's office never disputed the authenticity of the document, only its interpretation. And since when do we invalidate news that breaks four days before an election (see DUI arrest, Bush, G., 2000)? An election that wasn't even happening in this country?
Howard Dean is drawing some party support, says the Boston Globe:
"A round of criticism from fellow Democrats and major donors about Howard Dean's four-month tenure as Democratic National Committee chairman has prompted Senate leaders to rise to his defense at a public event planned for today.
"Originally scheduled as a private meeting between Dean and the leadership team of Senate minority leader Harry Reid of Nevada, today's session instead will now include a news conference and photo opportunity as a public embrace of Dean, who has rocked the political world over the past week with provocative condemnations of the Republican party. . . .
