Dowd: The Argyle General (MoDo back to whorish self)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/11/opinion/11DOWD.html

Can we trust a man who muffs his mufti?

Trying to soften his military image and lure more female voters in New Hampshire, Gen. Wesley Clark switched from navy suits to argyle sweaters. It's an odd strategy. The best way to beat a doctor is not to look like a pharmacist.

General Clark's new pal Madonna, who knows something about pointy fashion statements, should have told him that those are not the kind of diamonds that make girls swoon.

Is there anything more annoying than argyle? Maybe Lamar Alexander's red plaid shirt. Maybe celebrities sporting red Kabbalah strings.

After General Clark's ill-fitting suits in his first few debates — his collars seemed to be standing away from his body in a different part of the room — a sudden infusion of dandified sweaters and duck boots just intensifies the impression that he's having a hard time adjusting to civilian life.

[RamboLiberal]

1. My New Year's resolution is to email the whores when they attack our

candidates. My first choice is Dean, Clark is a close 2nd. I fired off this email to Ms. Dowd.

Dear Ms. Dowd

I'm disappointed you didn't read your colleague Paul Krugman's New Year's Resolution. Since it's obvious you didn't here's one that applies to your column The Argyle General:

Don't talk about clothes. Al Gore's endorsement of Howard Dean was a momentous event: the man who won the popular vote in 2000 threw his support to a candidate who accuses the president of wrongfully taking the nation to war. So what did some prominent commentators write about? Why, the fact that both men wore blue suits.

This was not, alas, unusual. I don't know why some journalists seem so concerned about politicians' clothes as opposed to, say, their policy proposals. But unless you're a fashion reporter, obsessing about clothes is an insult to your readers' intelligence.

You're a clever columnist, but come on, let's not write about General Clark wearing cammies, his general's uniform, suits or sweaters. Let's write about his policies and statements.

The general looks good in sweaters, he looks good in suits. But more importantly to me he sounds more presidential to me than George Bush. I don't care what General Clark, or Howard Dean, or John Kerry, or Dick Gephardt wear, I want to know what they say and where they stand and I don't want that cute gotcha journalism trap all you lazy journalists are falling in to in 2004 just like you did in 2000.

I think Ms. Dowd you were one of the worst with this in 2000 wherein you were vicious to Al Gore on trivial matters and easy on George Bush. I think reading some of your columns in the past two years you've come to regret it.

This latest column and the previous "Lezzies" column have been very lazy writing from you. If this is what we're to be treated to in 2004, maybe you should've stayed on vacation.

[Military Brat]

3. Wow, you wrote a great retort to Ms. Dowd.

I commend you. It is excellent.

Sad fact is, running for president is very much a visual campaign. Most of the voters are looking at the image, not listening to the message. Remember Rove's tactic? "I run the campaign so the message gets across even if the volume is turned off."

I agree with you, clothes don't make the man. Ms. Dowd was too harsh in her assessment. But maybe Ret. General Clark will compromise a bit and change his attire. Personally, at the Rock the Vote, he looked terrific.

Just my opinion. :)

[Memekiller]

7. I just posted a similar one...

...wish I had seen this first.

In "The Argyle General", Maureen Dowd writes the following:

"Can we trust a man who muffs his mufti?

"Trying to soften his military image and lure more female voters in New Hampshire, Gen. Wesley Clark switched from navy suits to argyle sweaters."

Apparently she didn't read the "New Year's Resolutions" piece by her fellow New York Times columnist Paul Krugman in which he appeals to his fellow reporters to follow a few simple rules to prevent "laziness and personal pettiness to shape this crucial election." Number one was (drum roll, please): Don't talk about clothes!:

"Al Gore's endorsement of Howard Dean was a momentous event: the man who won the popular vote in 2000 threw his support to a candidate who accuses the president of wrongfully taking the nation to war. So what did some prominent commentators write about? Why, the fact that both men wore blue suits.

"This was not, alas, unusual. I don't know why some journalists seem so concerned about politicians' clothes as opposed to, say, their policy proposals. But unless you're a fashion reporter, obsessing about clothes is an insult to your readers' intelligence."

Sadly, Dowd has added yet another superficial criticism of our Presidential candidates to that list.

[madaboutharry]

2. She is lazy

I have come to the conclusion that Dowd is lazy. It takes hard work to write a deep and meaningful column. More and more, it seems to me, her columns look as if they were written in about 10 minutes. More often than not they are of little substance and are poorly constructed. This particular column is nothing more that a string of insults and silly rehashed lines from her bash Al Gore days. The New York Times ought to wonder what they are getting for their money.

[kaitykaity]

4. Here's mine to the whorish slut.

Dear Ms. Dowd:

Whew. So good to know I can stop reading your column again.

Didn't you get the memo from Krugman? The lazy, heather
opinion writer will go for the clothes every single time. Now I don't
know about you, but isn't your job (a job thousands of people would
give their first born child to have) to write insightful analysis about
issues of vital political importance?

If you want to write about clothes, to work for Entertainment Weekly
or something. Stop polluting the political arena with work that can
easily be excused as the result of a wicked hangover.

You can and should do better. Otherwise a nomination to
http://www.mediawhoresonline.com is definitely in your future.

Tsk tsk tsk.

Regards,


drb
(no kids yet, but . . . )

[NNadir]

5. This moron pulled the same shit in 2000 going on about Al Gore's suits.

She is so shallow that she thinks that confuses the qualifications for President with those of being a fashion model. Would you like the General better, Maureen, if he smeared himself with Iraqi blood?

She was, is, and aways will be the avatar of inane tripe.

[The Zanti Regent]

6. Shut up Whoreen, Shut Up and GO AWAY!

Once again Whoreen shows her true Nazi colors.

I sent a link of this crap to MWO!

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. God, she's a pin-head.

She should be writing for the National Enquirer.

[The Zanti Regent]

9. My letter to Whoreen

I spent all night composing this letter, and a copy was sent to the Horse (Media Whores Online)

Dearie:

Didn't you get the memo from Krugman about the clothes? I thought your job was to analyze issues of grave national importance. Guess I'm wrong. Nice to see your back in your Democrat bashing mode. Hmm, I wonder if you'd change your mind if Clark hit the gym and pumped up on Steroids and did a private posing routine in a Jagware strap for you?

Please, leave discussions about people's clothing to a real expert like Mr. Blackwell. I'm sure you just missed several of his beloved lists, dearie. Based on your last two submissions to the New York Times, one wonders if your pal Rush gave you some free samples of his hillbilly heroin.

I am sending a copy of this e-mail to my pal, the Horse, at Media Whores Online. I'm also nominating you for Whore of the Week based on this inane drivel. Gee, dearie, your first column of the year pissed off lesbians everywhere and you've gone back to Democrat bashing. You've already pissed off half the nation with your asinine rants, are you auditioning to replace your boyfriend Rush?

Any reply will be forwarded to the Horse at Media Whores Online so the whole world can laugh at your shallowness.

[Snoopy2]

10. Sarah Jessica Parker wore an Argyle Sweater on SATC tonight

Maybe Clark is a cutting edge fashionista as well!!!

[Vitruvius]

11. So Dowd "can't trust" a soldier who's been decorated for valor, but

she can trust an AWOL drunk like Bu$h. Typical.

[scarface2004]

12. hey whoreen!

resign! that was pathetic..and you get prime time on the ny times no less!

we can t wait for this national nightmare to end....please lord don t screw us again!!

[dweller]

13. BACK???

when did she ever get offa hers?

dp

[fabius]

14. My response

Ms. Dowd:

As a long-time fan, I am truly distressed that you think the top issue in this Presidential campaign is the candidates' clothing. Your column, while reminiscent of the gravity of the Al Gore "Earth Tones" debate, really does not get to the core of the issues facing the nation.

If you watched "60 Minutes" tonight you would have been privileged to see some real journalism. In fact, a former Administration official has just revealed that the Iraq War was was planned from the first week after Bush's inauguration. Although I am not a professional journalist like yourself, this strikes me as potentially a bigger story than Watergate.

If you wonder how our country could have been taken over by such a thuggish, greedy, mendacious gang, please remember the press' trivialization of the 2000 election. So if you want to know why we now suffer the depradations of worst Administration since Warren Harding, you have only to look in the mirror.

If you really wish to keep fiddling while Rome burns, maybe you should extend your vacation and let a qualified substitute take over.


I'm not going to let them get away with it this time.

[Skittles]

15. she makes me SICK

talking about clothes again, Maureen? Nothing else more interesting to report on or would that entail YOU DOING YOUF F***ING JOB ???