CNN: Lost in the Wilderness?

I do not watch any television save for CNN during the morning whilst eating breakfast at my local haunt.

The anchor whose name I didn't catch was obviously channeling Karl Rove. While he was reading his GOP Approved™ script concerning the various squabbles amongst the Democratic presidential hopefuls, he had to interject that, "this comes at a time when the White House is full of good news, from the capture of Saddam Hussein to the economy." If CNN, a Time-Warner company, were truly objective they might have mentioned the Plame Affair, the stubborn WMD in hiding, Bush's failure to do anything of substance regarding the Israeli/Palestinian issue, Afghanistan, the conditions in occupird Iraq, the numbers of U.S. service personnel injured and killed in the neo-cons, "war of choice," 9/11 comission stonewalling, or any number of the dozens of negatives that would -- in a real democracy -- be topics that the press would be filling the front pages of every newspaper and headlining televised news programs.

American democracy, a nice concept.

I may get out today or tomorrow to meet some of the candidates. Dean was in Concord, NH yesterday. I missed his stumping due to my stinkin' job.

I do have some information on what Dean said courtesy of my friend and Concord Monitor staff reporter, Jennifer Skalka.

pure bs world exclusive

Apparently Dean was grilled on his lack of foreign policy experience by a Laconia, NH resident, Ms. Mary Hutchins.

"You're getting a tremendous amount of tutoring about foreign affairs, and frequently you've come up with a lot of misstatemants to show your lack of knowledge." Ms. Hitchins said of Dean. She also told Dean that hadn't made up her mind about which of the nine Democratic candidates she'd support for president. "At this point we need somebody who is strong, and I haven't seen you come forth as strong and knwledgable about it."

"Are you sure you haven't made up your mind?" Dean replied, prompting laughter in a hall packed largely with fans.

"I have as much foreign policy as Bill Clinton did when he took over," Dean added. "I have much more foreign policy experience than George Bush did.....I have more foreign policy(experience) than Ronald Reagan did. I think I'm in a reasonable spot."

I personally think that Dean's statements are accurate. The current occupant of the White House relies on others to give him news fer chrissakes. Sheesh.

I should have split and been there. It sounds like it was a lot of fun.

More Dean stuff, in Jennifer skalka's own words.

Dean was lobbying yesterday to convince New Hampshire voters like Hutchins that he had the know-how to handle international affairs. Though he's challenged President Bush's decision to preemptively strike Iraq, largely building his campaign on an anti-war platform, Dean said yesterday that "we have the right to use force if an attack is imminent."

Dean also pointed to the heightened terror alert and recently canceled international flights as evidence that his statements after Saddam Hussein's capture - he'd said that United States isn't safer with Saddam out of power - are accurate.

"All those Democrats criticize and criticize," he said. "Oh Howard Dean doesn't know anything about foreign policy....I don't think I was right, and they were wrong."

Flanked by banners for the Service Employees International Union and the American Federal of State, County and Municipal Employees, Dean also ripped into President Bush for promoting policies that make the nation's wealthy wealthier and for padding bank accounts of corporations. Dean - who moved the podium, opting instead to use a hand held microphone - noted that 3 million jobs have been lost on Bush's watch and the country's deficit has skyrocketed. He said the Republicans haven't balanced a budget in 30 years.

"This is the borrow and spend, borrow and spend president," Dean said. "His spending rates's higher than even Bill Clinton's who is not supposed to be known for spending....The fact is that Democrats balance budgets, Republicans don't. You can't trust Republicans with your money.

"Dean said the Bush administration has neglected the nation's chlildren by not fully funding No Child Left Behind, which he called "No Behind." A Dean administration, the former governor said, would also fully fund special education. Dean said it was essesntial - and cost efficient - to invest in children from birth to age 3. He said an early effort in education and adequate care for new mothers would lead to a reduction in tha nation's prison population. In Vermont, Dean said, new mothers were offered a home visit by a nurse. At $100 a pop, Dean said they were worth every penny.

One last bit.

Ms. Dottie Bragdon, a Dean supporter, had some comments about Dean's very public gaffes. Bragdon said they remind her of when Bush gets tongue-tied or misspeaks. "I hate Bush's, but I don't mind his," she said of Dean. "He seems to speak out of it." Ms. Bragdon also also said that he(Dean) is an honest man, a sincere man who is well-intentioned.

Thanks for this piece go to the aforementioned Jennifer Skalka, and to my sister Melissa for helping me to assemble this piece. A round of pure bs drinks to all.