Kathleen Parker's column about Dean

[proud2BlibKansan]

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/kathleenparker/kp20050611.shtml

Nevertheless, what Dean should have said was, "Not that there's anything wrong with that. Why, I'm a white Christian myself. But ." Badaboom. And made his point. And smiled.

It's not the message, in other words, so much as the messenger. Dean has no feel, no instinct for the light touch. If he has a sense of humor, it must be keeping company with his religion - off the sleeve and out of sight. I can't see him without being reminded of the Lollypop Guild, those tough-guy Munchkins who welcomed Dorothy to Oz with a sneer and a scowl.

Put Dean's same words in the mouth of a Ronald Reagan, and no one would blink. Like Dean, Reagan said what he thought, but he didn't give the impression that he was about to pop his buttons with the sort of earnestness that makes you want to hand over a Valium.

Reagan's deft touch, his sense of humor and natural timing protected him from condemnation when he said far more inflammatory things than Dean has thought of.

I could have sworn I saw Dean say this exact thing - that he IS a white Christian. Whatever happened to journalists gathering FACTS before they write columns? sheesh

[fob]

1. Whatever happened to journalists gathering FACTS before they write columns

Two Words for you - kathleen and parker.


And yes I know that's 3 words, I like the strangeness of saying it that way. :P

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. I know I know

but she used to be far less conservative. Reading her column is a hard habit to break.

[KlatooBNikto]

15. Kathleen stands for Kath lean on facts. So there!

[Straight Shooter]

2. Dean doesn't have to "should have said" anything.

Reagan was an actor. He screwed America with a kiss, but he still screwed America.

Speaking of a "light touch," Ms. Parker could take her heavy pen off the rudeness accelerator.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. I think she's been hanging with

Michelle and Mann. She sounds more and more like them all the time.

[ticapnews]

3. What are these "facts" you speak of?

I think I read about those in a history book or something. But maybe not...

[Mass]

4. Who is Kathleen Parker - and townhall, of all newspapers.

what were you expecting.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Here is what I just emailed her:

Kathleen,
Dean DID say he is a white Christian, and there is nothing wrong with that. On The Today Show last week. And on a couple other TV interviews. In fact, what you suggest he SHOULD HAVE said is pretty much a direct quote of his actual words.

How about doing a little research and printing a retraction or an apology?

This hyperfocus on Dean is just taking our attention from what we really should be focusing on - Michael Jackson's trial and that missing girl in Aruba. And then there is the Downing Street Minutes, but they aren't really that important, are they? :)

[Mass]

8. Great email! \nt

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. Thanks

I have emailed her before and always got a polite response. Let's hope she pays attention.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. Kick

I would sure like to see her flooded with emails from other DUers. Come on folks, we need to call these columnists on these errors.

There is a link to contact her at the bottom of her column.

[Old and In the Way]

11. Is this the same Kathleen Parker who thought Fallujah should be nuked?

I'll take a pass on her opinions....maybe she was a big fan of RR, but I certainly have a different rememberance of his idiotic statements.

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. yes that is her n/t

[esvhicl]

12. PRO Dean Petition

PLEASE SIGN AND CIRCULATE WIDELY.

http://www.petitiononline.com/Dean/petition.html

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. Done

over 10,000 signatures so far :)

[ibegurpard]

16. gotta love Republicans giving advice to us.

eom

[BurtWorm]

17. Like "The bombing starts in five minutes?"

That went over real well. :eyes:

[hfojvt]

18. except he did not say that in his original comments

he said it later when he was back-pedaling after the firestorm. That makes a big difference. If he had done it the way Parker suggests, there would have been no firestorm, at least not one that could be milked without taking it out of context. As Mark Twain said of journalism - "First, get the facts, then distort them."

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. You are right

but if she was a good journalist, she would have investigated and discovered what he said to Matt Lauer the next day.

[0rganism]

20. Like it would have mattered

Republican punditry excels at taking material out of context. For instance, did you catch what OhReally did to Sen. Biden's comments about Gitmo? These people are low, sleazy, and shameless, and they'll do anything to score.

It would not have been difficult to adapt the "revised version" of Dean's remark to fit their propaganda needs. Of course, saying it in isolation is a bonus for the GOP hitsquad, but not a large one.