Gaffes prove politically costly for both Dean, Bush - Cronkite

[question everything]

http://www.dailybreeze.com/content/opinion/1532802.html

(snip)

One was Howard Dean's obvious gaffe in exposing a manic side of his personality that undercut the image of a calm, deliberate candidate substantially in the lead. That lead disappeared in his unexpected third-place showing in Iowa.

(snip)

But it appears that they (the White House) failed. The first poll after the address shook the White House -- the president's popularity was slipping. But the next poll, by Newsweek, really shocked the Bush ranks: If Sen. John Kerry were the president's opponent, he would be preferred by 49 percent to 46 percent for Bush. The deeper analysis will have to come, but from the many reactions accumulated by the media, it is clear that Bush simply failed in an attempt to explain, and defend where he felt necessary, his administration of the nation's highest office.

(snip)

A lot of attention has been given to Bush's tortured exercise in damage control. In the face of almost unanimous expert opinion that Iraq never had the weapons of mass destruction Bush claimed as his reason for going to war, Bush was forced to qualify the claim as "weapons-of-mass-destruction-related program activities." The cameras didn't catch any of the distinguished audience giggling, but suppression of a guffaw must have required a measure of self-control on the part of some.

(snip).

Bush will have many more opportunities to address the nation from that bully pulpit. One of his great advantages over the Democratic opponent will be his ability to stage events commanding the nation's, indeed the world's, attention: Note President Bush's Thanksgiving Day visit to the troops in Iraq. It would be churlish to suggest that the president might have been thinking politics at such a time -- but presidential-campaign history has other examples of the use of this powerful tool that circumstances deny to a president's challenger.

(snip)

Walter Cronkite's column appears every Friday on the Insight page. His e-mail address is [e-mail].

[StClone]

1. Kerry has yet to meet the Mr. Negative

Candidate Kerry will get my support, but once the Millions of Flying Monkey Minions star sprinkling the magic seeds of negative ads across the land his ratings will fade. It will happen.

Dean 'Unstable'
Kerry 'NE Liberal FlipFlopper or something like that'

Again, it will happen.

[placton]

2. I am a churl!

The ONLY reason Bush appeared with the other fake turkey in Iraq was political. Hillary and another Dem senator were going, and Rove wanted to make sure his boy took the spot light.

3. I love Cronkite's wry humor in this article

"The president also sought to set forth the major themes of the election campaign to come. Clearly, they are going to be: (1) the War on Terror, (2) the War on Terror, (3) the War on Terror and the need for the Patriot Act, (4) tax cuts and (5) prohibitions against gay marriage, abortion and related evils such as family planning and sex education (other than teaching abstinence)."

[MasonJar]

4. Keep up the good work, Walter. Too bad you are no longer

anchor.