Issue:TIME.com: Vladimir Putin, CBS News Loyalist -- Mar. 07, 2005:

Specific: " If the press was so free in the U.S., Putin asked, then why had those reporters at CBS lost their jobs? Bush was openmouthed. 'Putin thought we'd fired Dan Rather,' says a senior Administration official. 'It was like something out of 1984.' "

Comment:Shall I point out that Jeb's "Big Brother" is the President? But this response from the White House is consistent with the disconnected nature of the administration with the effects of their policies. The are good at manipulating the image to fit their reality.

Issue:CNN.com - Bush:�Attack on�Iran 'ridiculous' - Feb 22, 2005


Specific: "'This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. Having said that, all options are on the table,' Bush said."


Comment: The President use of bravado and "Cowboy Diplomacy" and the lack of WMD makes his credibility very much in question.

Issue:The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Calling All Democrats

Comment: Still a man of logic and reason.

Issue:CNN.com - White House reporter's credentials questioned - Feb 9, 2005:

Specific: "James Guckert reported from the White House under the name 'Jeff Gannon.'"

Comment: This is now 2 instances of the white house using techniques to bias the news. Armstong William was the first and now this. How many more are yet to be on covered? How many in the White House Press are really who they say they are? Whose advantage is it, that anyone in the White House Press Corp is not who they say they are?

Issue:The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Inherit the Windbags

Comment: I like her turn of phrase.

Issue: Herald.com | 02/02/2005 | Check on U.S. power:

Specific: "FEDERAL COURT DEFINES LIMITS OF PRESIDENT'S AUTHORITY"

Comment: Bravo!

Issue: NPR : Amid Relative Quiet, Sharon and Abbas Plan Summit:

Specific: "Abbas has deployed thousands of police officers to prevent attacks against Israeli targets in Gaza. Israel has responded by halting offensive operations. "

Comment: If peace between the Palestinians and Israel should develop in the next four years it is not due to Bush policies. It would not be anymore the result of Bush policies than the fall of the USSR was not the result of Reagan policies. As the rise of Gorbachev to power was key in the USSR situation, the death of Arafat is key between Israel and the Palestinians.

It should also be noted that peace between the Palestinians and Israel may not necessarily be peace in the middle east. What if Iraq and Iran go after each other again... There are many other combinations to be concerned about.