Thursday, September 02, 2004

I'm hearing various responses to the convention, to last night and tonight: Schwarzenegger lied about Humphrey, or the debates; Cheney lied; Miller lied and is nuts. That all may be beside the point.
good night
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10:00 AM Update: I'm listening to David Gergen on NPR (WNYC). Gergen is not happy; his voice is shaky.

"Zell Miller began his career working for Lester Maddox. And he's ending it imitating him."

Very good. Better than good. But the host's "neutrality" is infuriating.
Last night talking to John Stewart, Ted Koppel referred to the difference between facts and truth by offering a hypothetical: The Presdent's accusation that Ted Koppel is a pedophile.
"Is the accusation true?"
"Is it!?" [Stewart mugging for the camera]
"Well, no. [Stewart leans over, put's his face up to the lens, and smiles] But it's also a fact that the President made the accusation"
Koppel as much as admitted that the Swift Boat accusations were lies -he refused to contest Stewart's statement that they were- but refused to say that it is his responsibility as a journalist to say so.

So today it's Gergen, the poltical operator, who's in the position of making not only practical but moral distinctions between the candidates. Gergen is worried for the future of the country. Brian Lehrer is worried about being fair. The only honesty left is the honesty of cynics.

In a democracy, passivity is corruption.

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