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Campaign 2004

• November 23 -- Todd Purdum on well-loved departing moderate Colin Powell.
Todd Purdum sighs after well-loved departing moderate Colin Powell in a "What If?" think piece for the Sunday Week in Review, "Imagining How Powell Might Still Have a Job."

• November 22 -- Poor, "Poignant" Tom Daschle
Pity poor Tom: "In the Senate, the Democratic leader, Tom Daschle of South Dakota, who lost his re-election bid, delivered a poignant farewell speech that brought him a standing ovation…The scant Republican showing provoked Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, Democrat of New Jersey, to speak out….Outside the Senate chamber, the common ground Mr. Daschle spoke of seemed hard to find."

• November 18 -- "Crusted-Nut-Bar Dick Cheney"
Maureen Dowd isn't moving on: "President Bush is purging the naysayers who tried to temper crusted-nut-bar Dick Cheney and the neocon crazies on Iraq."

• November 18 -- The Times' Toilet Humor
Reporter Robin Finn finds anti-Bush toilet humor ("I Pee on Bushes") amusing.

• November 17 -- Religious Right, but "Religious Left"
David Kirkpatrick mulls post-election religious grumbling among Democrats: "Some Democrats are scrambling to shake off their secular image, stepping up efforts to organize the 'religious left' and debating changes to how they approach the cultural flashpoints of same-sex marriage and abortion." But why the quote marks around "religious left"?

• November 16 -- Maureen Feeling Mobbed by "Vengeful" Bushies
Maureen Dowd hasn't quite gotten over Bush's victory: "I'm getting more the feel of a vengeful mob -- revved up by rectitude -- running around with torches and hatchets after heathens and pagans and infidels."

• November 16 -- Burying Vote Fraud Accusations -- And Digging Them Up Again
On Friday, reporter Tom Zeller debunked Internet allegations of anti-Kerry vote fraud. But two days later, a Times editorial lent credence to those same left-wing accusations: "The blogosphere, in particular, has been full of questions: Why did electronic voting machines in Ohio add nearly 4,000 phantom votes for President Bush, and why did machines in Florida mysteriously start to count backward?"

• November 15 -- Democratic "Embrace" of Civil Rights Cost Party the South
Robin Toner's front-page story on the decline of the Southern Democrat fingers the civil rights movement.

• November 15 -- Zeller Tamps Down Fuzzy Vote-Fraud Allegations
Tom Zeller debunks left-wing Internet-based conspiracies alleging vote fraud.

• November 9 -- Hard Cheese for Krugman After Bush's Win

• November 9 -- What Can Save the Democrats Now?
Dean Murphy speculates on what it will take for the Democrats to regain power: "History suggests several possibilities for a major reshaping event -- a national calamity, a deep schism in the ruling party, the implosion of a social movement under the excesses of its own agenda or the emergence of an extraordinary political figure."

• November 9 -- "Conservative" Sen. Reid to the Democrats' Rescue?
A Times editorial tilts the labeling field.

• November 9 -- Don't Get "Too Radical," Republicans
Sheryl Gay Stolberg thinks Republicans can be dissuaded from "too radical an agenda."

• November 8 -- "A More Imperial President"
Elisabeth Bumiller: "It is too early to tell if victory will lift what critics call the chip on [Bush's] shoulder and make him more magnanimous -- or whether it will simply create a more imperial president."

• November 8 -- About That "Stagnant Economy"…
How quickly things can turn around in two days.

• November 8 -- "Poll Tax" for Poor Voters in Ohio?
Adam Liptak finds a racial angle and even "a sort of poll tax" in a story on voting problems in Ohio.

• November 5 -- Krugman Celebrates Voters -- Before the Election, Anyway
Columnist Paul Krugman sounds bereft: "President Bush isn't a conservative. He's a radical -- the leader of a coalition that deeply dislikes America as it is….thanks to a heavy turnout by evangelical Christians, Mr. Bush has four more years to advance that radical agenda." But just last week he was smitten with the dignity of voting and "choked up" over the heavy turnout.

• November 5 -- Tom Delay "Pushes the Limits"
Carl Hulse profiles Tom DeLay: "In the weeks leading up to the voting, Mr. DeLay was hit with back-to-back scoldings from the House ethics committee, reinforcing his reputation as a lawmaker who pushes the limits…with President Bush and other top Congressional Republicans talking about trying to reduce the partisanship that has gripped Capitol Hill, some are wondering whether the combative majority leader will move in that direction as well."

• November 5 -- Bush Wins Big, But Faces Pressure from Christians
Richard Stevenson notes Bush's "decisive win" but wonders if he can withstand "pressure" from the evangelical Christians who helped him win reelection.

• November 5 -- Will Bush Now Tone Down the Rhetoric?
David Sanger is unusually generous toward Bush in the afterglow of victory, but soon reverts to form: "One of the biggest questions hanging over his second term is whether he will tone down the rhetoric and actions that play so badly abroad."

• November 5 -- A Specter Looming Over Bush's Sunny Week
The Times takes a step back from the election with broad-based, mostly respectful stories on how values-oriented voters put Bush over the top. But the paper doesn’t miss a chance to stir controversy, fronting a story on Republican Sen. Arlen Specter comments on abortion.

• November 4 -- California Dreaming of Stem Cell Success
Dean Murphy repeats the optimistic Democratic line on stem cell research -- but is it accurate?

• November 4 -- Nagourney: Bush to Push "Conservative Agenda"
Adam Nagourney weighs the state of politics after Bush's convincing triumph: "[Bush] positioned himself and his party to push through a conservative agenda in Washington over the next four years."

• November 4 -- Overdosing Again on "Conservatives"
David Kirkpatrick continues his label-happy conservative beat reporting.

• November 4 -- "Blunt" Cheney Claims Mandate for Bush
Richard Stevenson doesn't see much of a second-term honeymoon for the president and seems to question how a "blunt" Cheney could take cheer from an "often vituperative" campaign.

• November 4 -- No Marines for Bush?
Robert Worth talks with Marines near Falluja: "Some of the marines clearly had strong views about the presidential race and the way it would affect the military, though they have been instructed not to share those with reporters. Others seemed not to care much, saying the election seemed too far from their everyday lives to make much of an impression." Worth doesn't mention polls showing most troops support Bush.

• November 4 -- Beware Bush's Supreme Court Nominees
The Times talks of "strict conservative" nominees to the Supreme Court.

• November 4 -- How Ever Did He Win?
Todd Purdum admits Bush won decisively, while suggesting his actual policies have failed: "Surveys of voters leaving the polls found that a majority believed the national economy was not so good, that tax cuts had done nothing to help it and that the war in Iraq had jeopardized national security. But fully one-fifth of voters said they cared most about 'moral values' -- as many as cared about terrorism and the economy -- and 8 in 10 of them chose Mr. Bush."

• November 4 -- Bush's "Code Words" to Christians
Bush's successful reelection strategy was based partially on transmitting "code words" to evangelicals, says Elisabeth Bumiller.

• November 4 -- Conservatives All Over the Country, But Few Liberals Around
A mother lode of labeling bias in the NYT's state-by-state Election Night rundown: Twenty uses of "conservative" but only two "liberals."

• November 4 -- Centering Hillary Clinton
Mainstreaming Hillary for 2008?

• November 4 -- Curtain Call for Tom Daschle, "A Man of Decency"
One last loving profile from Sheryl Gay Stolberg on defeated Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle: "The soft-spoken leader has often been described by his fellow Democrats as a man of decency."

• November 3 -- Kerry Wins! Says Media Types
Frank Bruni blogged the Campaign 2004 coverage and noted some of his media colleagues were predicting a Kerry win early on: "By an extremely significant margin -- OK, five to one -- my news media colleagues, a.k.a. drinking buddies, said their readings of the signs, couple with their instincts, pointed toward a victory for Senator John Kerry."

• November 3 -- Wednesday Morning Quarterbacking NYT's Pro-Dem Hints
Some of the Times' more optimistic pro-Democratic stories didn't pan out.

• November 3 -- Will the Times Take Its Own Advice?
From the Times' post-election, pre-concession lead editorial: "When a victor is finally, officially announced, it is important for the entire country to accept him as the rightful president." But will Bill Keller?

• November 3 -- Who Won The Election, Anyway?
Kerry conceded, but someone reading Adam Nagourney's pre-concession story would think it was Kerry, not Bush, on the verge of victory.

• November 3 -- "Conservatives" and "Democratic Stalwarts" in Congress
Robin Toner and Katharine Seelye's front-page story finds plenty of "conservative" winners in Congress but no "liberals," only "Democratic stalwarts."

• November 3 -- Bush "Most Polarizing President" Since Nixon
Post-election "news analysis" from Todd Purdum: "Already, through his aggressive handling of terrorism and foreign policy, he has made himself not only the most polarizing president since Richard M. Nixon but also guaranteed himself a prominent place in the history books, and historical debate, for years to come."

• November 2 -- Bloggers Break On to NYT's Op-ed Page
The Times op-ed page gives bloggers their due.

• November 2 -- Florida's Black Voters "Intimidated" by Long Lines?
Paul Krugman works in nasty accusations about Republican voter suppression of minorities in Florida: "Over the weekend, people in some polling places had to stand in line for four, five, even six hours, often in the hot sun. Some of them -- African-Americans in particular -- surely suspected that those lines were so long because officials wanted to make it hard for them to vote."

• November 2 -- Final Pre-Election Cheap Shots from the Times
Frank Rich bizarrely conflates two bogus anti-Bush scandals, while an editorial uses Cheney's trip to Hawaii to accuse Republicans of "questionable ethnic gestures."

• November 2 -- "Deceptively Cherub-Faced" Rove
A home-stretch profile of "bombastic" Karl Rove, the "man Democrats love to hate."

• November 2 -- More Conservative Christian Conservatives
David Kirkpatrick files two stories on conservative Christians and dredges up Pat Buchanan's Republican convention speech from 1992.

• November 2 -- Democrats "To Insure Voters Are Not Intimidated"
James Dao and Adam Liptak's front-page story passes along Democratic accusations of vote suppression: "In Florida, Republicans have said they will challenge 1,700 people with felons convictions if they show up to vote. Democrats have mustered thousands of poll watchers whose job will be to ensure that voters are not intimidated."

• November 2 -- Emotional Kerry Wowed by Crowds, While Bush Aides Are "On Edge"
An emotive Kerry ("John Kerry was halfway through his stump speech under a driving rain in Milwaukee on Monday when he stopped and surveyed his drenched but dauntless crowd") is pitted against nervous Bushies ("Bush's aides, after asserting for weeks that they were confident and calm, finally admitted in the last marathon stretch that they were on edge").

• November 1 -- Bush "Bulge" Rumor Takes Hold in "Dark Corners" -- Like the NYT?
Matt Bai laments in the Sunday Magazine: "A rumor that the president somehow cheated in the televised debates -- was that a wire under his jacket? was he listening to Karl Rove on a microscopic earpiece? -- flies across the Internet and takes hold in dark corners of the public imagination." And in the New York Times.

• November 1 -- Kerry "Galvanizing Supporters"
Deborah Sontag sounds enthralled by Kerry's support: "Mr. Kerry's supporters packed away any concerns they once had about his charisma. They were galvanized, they said, by his ideas."

• November 1 -- "Nail Biting" Angst at Bush Rallies
Dean Murphy uncovers tension in the Bush camp: "There is a good deal of nail biting going on at the mostly picture-perfect campaign rallies held for President Bush." He then ponders anti-press hostility at Bush rallies.

• November 1 -- The Times Finally Checks Out Its Own Scoop
The Times finally questions ("Why is this coming out in the week before the election?") its suspiciously timed "scoop" on missing Iraq explosives -- on the back pages of the Saturday edition.

• November 1 -- Pushing Bush's Alleged Lack of Legitimacy
The NYT files its final poll, emphasizing doubts about Bush's legitimacy: "The anxiety appears to be a legacy of the disputed election of 2000: half of respondents in this latest poll said they did not think Mr. Bush legitimately won the presidency in 2000, compared with 45 percent who considered the outcome legitimate."

• November 1 -- Cheney "Stale" on the Stump
Coverage of the vice presidential hopefuls tilts in John Edwards' direction.

• November 1 -- "Conservatives" vs. Democrats in the Senate
The Times runs down nine crucial Senate races and uses the term "conservative" six times, twice in its short summary of the race to unseat Tom Daschle.

• November 1 -- Bush's "Façade" vs. "Relaxed, Playful" Kerry
The Times on Bush's campaign style: "Any crack in the façade could be fatal at the polls." The Times is more affectionate with Kerry: "Relaxed, playful and workmanlike, and hopelessly superstitious."

• October 29 -- Explosives Scoop Vindicated? The NYT Thinks So
"Ammo-gate" again on the front page, in a story highlighting unearthed footage showing the Army's 101st Airborne opening barrels and boxes of powder at al Qaqaa. The one videotape is apparently all the vindication the Times needs for its anti-Bush bombshell.

• October 29 -- The NYT: Your One-Stop Shop for Florida Gripes
Abby Goodnough forwards Democratic complaints from Florida about chief elections officer Glenda Hood: "Critics say that after the deeply polarizing recount, Gov. Jeb Bush should have picked a nonpartisan elections expert for the job. Instead he appointed Ms. Hood, a politically ambitious Republican who was among the state's 25 electors for George W. Bush four years ago."

• October 29 -- "Louder, Longer" Cheers for Kerry; "Nervousness" from Bush Camp
David Halbfinger and Elisabeth Bumiller show enthusiasm for Kerry's campaign: "With Bruce Springsteen singing Mr. Kerry's praises and his campaign theme song, 'No Surrender,' the Democratic candidate told huge crowds, who may have traveled to see the rocker but cheered longer and louder for the candidate, that he was impatient to relieve Mr. Bush of his 'hard work.'" The article's tone became more negative when turning to Bush: "The assault on Mr. Kerry reflected the nervousness in the Bush campaign five days from what is widely expected to be an exceptionally close election."

• October 29 -- Boosting a Dubious Iraq Body Count to Bash Bush
"Study Puts Iraqi Deaths Of Civilians At 100,000" reads the headline to another conveniently timed anti-Bush story from Iraq. What the Times leaves out: The project's lead researcher is opposed to the war ,and the anti-war Human Rights Watch say the numbers look "inflated."

• October 28 -- MRC in the NYT
MRC is featured in a Jim Rutenberg story on media criticism.

• October 28 -- Safire Throws Waters on "Explosives" Story
Times columnists William Safire casts some doubt on the origins of the paper's "explosives" story: "I'm a little suspicious of any last-minute charge. First of all, we have to find out, is this true. Second, why, if we knew about it or if it was known for 18 months since it began, why did it suddenly surface the last week of the election campaign. And third, what was the motive of whoever leaked it."

• October 28 -- "Legitimate" Concerns About NYT Bias
The Times reminds us things are still going badly in Iraq, with a front-page story by Edward Wong worrying once again about the "legitimacy" of the upcoming U.S.-sponsored elections there.

• October 28 -- Bush "Abandoning Rational Analysis" for "Iron Certainty"
Concerns about Bush's Christian faith on the Times' op-ed page.

• October 28 -- Passing Along Democratic Complaints from Florida
A front-page story from Florida by Adam Nagourney and Abby Goodnough lends credence to Democratic charges of bad faith among Republican officials.

• October 28 -- How's Our Anti-Bush Scoop Playing Out?
The lead story from Elisabeth Bumiller and Jodi Wilgoren on the Al Qaqaa controversy skips fact-finding in favor of a meta-analysis over how the Times' suspiciously timed story is playing between the two campaigns.

• October 27 -- No Liberals in the Battleground States
Alan Greenblatt finds "conservative transplants" in Colorado, "socially conservative voters" in Michigan, and plain old "conservatives" in Ohio and Florida. But where are the "liberals"?

• October 27 -- The NYT's "Base" Instincts
In the homestretch, "Conservative Base" Leads "Liberal Base" 18-2.

• October 27 -- Kerry's Not That Liberal, Part II
Todd Purdum makes the same "Kerry's-not-that-liberal" argument he made for the Times' biased voter guide: "[Kerry's] record is more eclectic and less predictable than that rating would imply."

• October 27 -- Sanger Still Pushing Explosives Scoop
David Sanger tails Bush through the Midwest and manages to work in his "explosives" scoop.

• October 27 -- "Explosive" Scoop: Firecracker or Fizzle?
The Times tries to rebut the White House counterattack to its dubious "missing explosives in Iraq" story.

• October 27 -- Blowback from the Times' "Explosives" Scoop
David Halbfinger enlists Tom Brokaw in a defense of the Times' deflating "Ammo-Gate" scoop, and the paper pats itself on the back for roiling the Bush camp.

• October 26 -- Ralph Nader, "Dangerous Buttinsky"?
The Times again spreads insults about former media hero Ralph Nader, the longtime left-wing "consumer advocate" who threatens to take votes away from John Kerry: "To his critics, he is an anachronistic, dangerous buttinsky, motivated more by ego than civic good."

• October 26 -- Complex Kerry, Striving Edwards
John Kerry : "Time and again, he has proved himself most focused in the crunch." John Edwards: "The odds are against him? The son of a mill worker likes those odds."

• October 26 -- Polarizing Bush, Secretive Cheney
George W. Bush: "On issues, Mr. Bush reaches out sparingly." 
Dick Cheney: "Democrats argue that Mr. Cheney is one of the most divisive figures in American politics."

• October 25 -- The Return of the King

• October 25 -- Bush Out to Break with The Great Society
David Rosenbaum and Robin Toner insist Bush is out to break with the Great Society: "Mr. Bush would, in important ways, break with the underpinnings of the New Deal and the Great Society that have directed the government's domestic policies for generations."

• October 25 -- "Hard-Line," "Strident" Bishops for Bush
Ian Fisher employs some loaded labels to describe the reaction of some Catholic bishops to Kerry's pro-abortion stance.

• October 25 -- Bush, the One-Syllable Man
Roger Cohen on Bush's stump speech: "It was a typical line from a president who likes words of one syllable."

• October 25 -- More Republican "Extremism" from James Traub
James Traub contributes another column on Republican "extremism" to the Sunday Magazine.

• October 25 -- Conservative Bush vs. Not-That-Liberal Kerry
The Times evaluates the possible election-loss aftermath for John Kerry ("more liberal than Mr. Clinton, but, Mr. Bush's attacks on him notwithstanding, not by much") and George W. Bush ("a clear conservative candidate").

• October 22 -- Bush's Judicial Philosophy Based Purely on "Reaping Political Benefit"?
Neil Lewis' front-page story on Bush's federal puts a cynical spin on the president's judicial philosophy: "There could have been no clearer signal that Mr. Bush intended to follow the pattern set by his father and President Ronald Reagan of shifting the courts rightward and reaping the political benefit of pleasing social conservatives."

• October 22 -- Over 300 Electoral Votes for Kerry, Says Krugman
Kerry's on track for a convincing Electoral College victory, says Paul Krugman.

• October 22 -- Pro-Kerry Speculations as Undisputable "Facts"
David Rosenbaum's latest "Fact Check" defends Kerry's health plan, but his "Facts" are quite disputable.

• October 21 -- Sanger Frames Bush's Foreign Policy Message
David Sanger frames Bush's foreign policy message as an attempt to change the subject: "It is artfully crafted to get his audiences to look beyond the daily headlines of beheadings and suicide bombers, of an insurgency that has defied American military might…."

• October 21 -- "Soldiers…Show Quiet Support for Kerry, Too."
Very quiet support, judging by the surveys.

• October 21 -- New Respect for Pat Robertson
How can an evangelical conservative get a respectful hearing in the New York Times? Criticize Bush.

• October 21 -- "Why Taxes Have to Go Up"
Credit the Times editorial page for candor.

• October 20 -- Anti-Kerry Film Accusations "Far Beyond Reality"
After much press hyperventilation, someone finally looks at "Stolen Honor," the anti-Kerry documentary that Sinclair Broadcast Group is to air Friday night: "The film is rife with out-of-context and incomplete quotations from Mr. Kerry and other antiwar veterans. Several historians said many accusations in it were not provable or stretched far beyond reality."

• October 20 -- Bush's "Privatization Plan" for Social Security
The Times places a liberally loaded description on top of Bush's Social Security reform plan: "Mr. Bush rarely if ever discusses the costs of his privatization plan," and take on Bush over the flu vaccine fiasco.

• October 20 -- "Inattentive, Arrogant" Americans
Sarah Lyall's report on a backlash to an election-year ploy by a British newspaper includes this gratuitous slam: "Some of the letters from the States seemed to bolster the widespread European view that Americans, whether because of inattention or arrogance, do not care much about the world beyond their own borders."

• October 19 -- Kerry Hurt by Lesbian Comment?
Adam Nagourney argues Kerry's "strong performance" in the debates may have been jeopardized when he brought up Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter and insists Bush "dodged" a question on whether homosexuality was a choice.

• October 19 -- Loving the "Neoconservative" Label
David Sanger wonders if a second Bush term would "be marked by pre-emption on steroids, unilateralism in a silken glove" and manages to say "neoconservative" three times.

• October 19 -- Down the Stretch With Bush and Kerry
Adam Nagourney and Janet Elder summarize the paper's poll showing Bush and Kerry basically tied.

• October 19 -- Rebutting Bush So Kerry Doesn't Have To
David Sanger and Jodi Wilgoren accuse Bush of "a far more incendiary characterization" of Kerry and helpfully disputes Bush's characterizations of Kerry's positions.

• October 19 -- The Times Nails Kerry's Anti-Bush Exaggerations
The Times fact-checks Kerry.

• October 18 -- "Hard-Right" Coors Family, "Conservative" O'Connor?
Kirk Johnson throws around some loaded labels in his story on the Colorado senate race: "It is a question that would have shocked the old line, hard-right conservative patriarchs of the clan begat by Adolph Coors."

• October 18 -- Optimism for Kerry, Part II
Adam Nagourney spreads pro-Kerry optimism from Iowa.

• October 18 -- Optimism for Kerry, Part I
Todd Purdum sees good tidings for Kerry after the debates.

• October 18 -- The Suspense Is Over: NYT Endorses Kerry
Surprise!

• October 18 -- Making Ted Kennedy Look Moderate
Editorial writer Adam Cohen lays out the fearsome fruits of a potential second term for Bush: "Abortion might be a crime in most states. Gay people could be thrown in prison for having sex in their homes. States might be free to become mini-theocracies, endorsing Christianity and using tax money to help spread the gospel."

• October 18 -- Bush's "Intolerance of Doubters"
The Times' Sunday Magazine features a cover story by Bush antagonist Ron Suskind: "Bush's intolerance of doubters has, if anything, increased, and few dare to question him now. A writ of infallibility -- a premise beneath the powerful Bushian certainty that has, in many ways, moved mountains -- is not just for public consumption: it has guided the inner life of the White House."

• October 18 -- Elisabeth Bumiller, Left-Wing Conspiracy-Monger
White House reporter Elisabeth Bumiller again treats a left-wing Internet-driven conspiracy theory as news: "The bulge -- the strange rectangular box visible between the president's shoulder blades in the first debate -- has set off so much frenzied speculation on the Internet that it has become what literary critics call an objective correlative, or an object that evokes large emotions and ideas…In the last two weeks, the bulge has taken on a life of its own to become a symbol to Mr. Bush's critics of all that is wrong with his presidency."

• October 15 -- The Times Lashes Out at Sinclair Broadcasting
In an editorial on the controversy over the Sinclair Broadcasting Group airing the anti-Kerry documentary "Stolen Honor: Wounds that Never Heal," the Times repeats the unsubstantiated claim that Bush accuses war opponents of lacking patriotism and indulges in some hyperbolic hand-wringing: "Sinclair is in dangerous territory." But how big is the Sinclair "threat"?

• October 15 -- The Pro-Kerry Truth Squad Rides Again
The Times again defends Kerry from a Bush criticism. After Bush accused Kerry of having a "global test he would administer before acting to defend America," Elisabeth Bumiller and David Halbfinger riposte: "Mr. Kerry's actual words in the debate in Tempe were these…."

• October 15 -- Fact-Checking Bush's Tax Cuts from a Liberal Angle
David Rosenbaum's economic fact-check purports to hit both Kerry and Bush for misleading statements, but as usual Bush comes off worse.

• October 15 -- No Sympathy For the Cheneys
A story on John Kerry's unprompted debate mention of Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter comes off as unsympathetic to the Cheneys, and tries hard to make gay marriage a conflict between Cheney and Bush.

• October 14 -- Taking Time to Defend Kerry
Adam Nagourney and Robin Toner's post-debate rush job makes one attempt to weigh the competing claims in the debate -- in Kerry's defense.

• October 14 -- Bush's "Rock-Hard" Positions vs. Clinton's "Mushy Middle Ground"
Bill Clinton, abortion moderate?

• October 14 -- More Misleading on Bush's Tax Cuts
David Rosenbaum uses two pro-Democratic groups to allege Bush misled on taxes during the final presidential debate.

• October 14 -- Times Leads With Kerry's Loaded Lesbian Comment
Surprisingly, the Times' front-page debate coverage includes undecided Iowa voters reacting with disapproval to Kerry's invoking of Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter.

• October 14 -- Debates Were "Rough Passage" for Bush -- Kerry a "Plausible Alternative"
Todd Purdum on the debates: "They were a rough passage for Mr. Bush, who saw his September lead over Mr. Kerry slip away as the Democratic nominee established himself as a plausible presidential alternative." He again sees Bush as defensive.

• October 12 -- How About Those Pro-Kerry Polls?
Another campaign story embraces recent poll findings -- now that they show Kerry doing better: "But Democrats, buoyed by a week of developments that undercut Mr. Bush's claims of vigorous job growth and his main justification for invading Iraq, said they would not lose the momentum heading into the final debate."

• October 12 -- Bush's "Hang Tough" Decision Echoes Vietnam
David Sanger tries to make a stark campaign issue out of Bush's alleged refusal to admit to mistakes, asserting the decision "has come to look far riskier than it did in the flush of handing Iraq back to Iraqis….Bush's decision to hang tough has echoes of the strategy used by another president from Texas. In the 1968 campaign, Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey began edging back from the Johnson Administration's plan to admit no fault with its policy in Vietnam."

• October 12 -- Still Hunting Fox News
Frank Rich's latest "arts" column features an attack on Fox News viewers: "If you limit your diet to Fox and its talk-radio and blogging satellites, you may think that the only pressing non-Laci Peterson, non-Kobe, non-hurricane stories are 'Rathergate' and the antics of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth."

• October 12 -- Bullying, Brazen Bush?
"Challenging Rest of the World With a New Order" parrots the usual charges of Bush the unilateralist: "It is a characterization of Mr. Bush's foreign policy style often heard around the world: bullying, unreceptive, brazen. The result, critics of this administration contend, has been a disastrous loss of international support, damage to American credibility, the sullying of America's image and a devastating war that has already taken more than 1,000 American lives."

• October 11 -- More Fact-Checking of Bush on the Trail
Elisabeth Bumiller helps Kerry out by fact-checking Bush on the stump: "In truth, Mr. Kerry essentially voted for one large tax increase, the Clinton tax bill of 1993, which mostly imposed additional income taxes on the wealthy but did include an increase in taxes on Social Security benefits for middle-income retirees. Mr. Kerry also supports middle-class tax breaks, but voted against them in 2001 as part of an overall tax bill that he opposed."

• October 11 -- The NYT: Your Source for Left-Wing Conspiracy Theories
After ignoring a similar rumor on Drudge about John Kerry, the Times helps spread a left-wing rumor that Bush was "wired" for his first debate: "What was that bulge in the back of President Bush's suit jacket at the presidential debate in Miami last week? According to rumors racing across the Internet this week, the rectangular bulge visible between Mr. Bush's shoulder blades was a radio receiver, getting answers from an offstage counselor into a hidden presidential earpiece….Ms. Devenish could not say why the 'rumpling' was rectangular."

• October 11 -- "Confident" Kerry, "Defensive" Bush
In Todd Purdum's debate analysis, it was confident Kerry vs. an often-strident Bush.

• October 11 -- Trashing "Unfit for Command," Loving Kitty Kelley
After spending seven weeks near the top of the Times best seller list, the NYT finally issues a 100% negative review of "'Unfit for Command," while giving a favorable notice to Kitty Kelley's trashy anti-Bush "biography."

• October 8 -- Taking the Shine off St. Ralph
The Times again sics Ralph Nader, this time on possible fraud in signature collecting in Pennsylvania, a swing state where Nader's presence on the ballot would hurt Kerry.

• October 8 -- Bush's Main Rationale for War Has "Unraveled"
"Mr. Kerry, emboldened by the report's unraveling of the administration's main rationale for going to war, shot back with his sharpest indictment yet…."

• October 8 -- Bushonomics: Ambitious, Divisive, or a "Hoax"?
Richard Stevenson on Bush's economic philosophy: "His assertion that reducing the top income-tax rate is primarily an effort to help small businesses has been challenged by many economists, who say the White House has exaggerated how much tax reductions in the top bracket flow to small-business owners. 'You can fairly say this is a political hoax,' said [anti-Bush author] Kevin Phillips."

• October 8 -- "Bush Pushes Limits on the Facts" on Trail
Only Republicans push the limits of truth, according to Adam Nagourney and Richard Stevenson's "In His New Attacks, Bush Pushes Limits on the Facts," featuring a cameo by liberal bogeyman Lee Atwater.

• October 7 -- Bush "Out of Touch" With Iraq Realities?
Piling on Bush's debate performance and setting up Democratic talking points.

• October 6 -- No Outcry Over NBC's "ILIE" -- But Times Smelled out "Subliminal" Message in "RATS" Ad from 2000
The MRC caught an NBC Nightly News graphic showing the letters "ILIE" for 16 seconds next to President Bush's face. The Times ignored it, perhaps dismissing the juxtaposition as inadvertent. But back in 2000, Democratic complaints about a single frame of an anti-Gore ad were front-page news.

• October 6 -- "Arid, "Astringent," "Practically Growling" Cheney
James Bennet piles on the negative adjectives.

• October 6 -- Dick "the Slasher" Cheney
Reporter Katharine Seelye's blogs the debate between Dick "the slasher" Cheney and the "engaging" John Edwards.

• October 6 -- Drawing Out Cheney's "Ire"
Adam Nagourney suddenly starts taking polls seriously, and picks up on the theme of Edwards throwing Cheney off his game: "Mr. Edwards frequently drew the vice president's ire -- and also drew Mr. Cheney's attention away from Mr. Kerry, his intended target."

• October 6 -- "Cheney on the Defensive"
Today's Times hammers home the idea that John Edwards more than held his own with Dick Cheney: "Mr. Edwards appeared to hold his own in the remarkably intense thrust and parry of the evening, at times putting Mr. Cheney on the defensive."

• October 5 -- "Standing Ovations" for Kerry on Stem Cells
The Times hypes stem-cell research: "Scientists say that embryonic stem cells hold great hope for medical treatments. But many conservatives and opponents of abortion criticize such research because it involves the destruction of human embryos….Polls show that strong majorities of the public favor an expansion of stem-cell research, and Mr. Kerry is routinely asked about it -- and wins standing ovations for his answers."

• October 4 -- Kerry Doesn’t Flip Flop, He Just "Changes His Emphasis"
Kerry's not a flip-flopper, he just emphasizes different things at different times: "Concerning Iraq, a review of Mr. Kerry's public statements found that his position had been quite consistent. But as the politics changed, Mr. Kerry repeatedly changed his emphasis."

• October 4 -- A Faulty Diagnosis of Swift Boat Charges
Reporter-physician Lawrence Altman discusses Kerry's recently released health records -- but experts on the Swift Boat saga question Altman's diagnosis.

• October 4 -- Reporters Cackled Over Bush's Debate Performance
Jim Rutenberg's front-page story on the post-debate spin game peeks into the mindset of the reporters watching: "The loudest cackles among the reporters covering the first presidential debate broke out at about 9:55 on Thursday night in a vast, mirrored filing center at the University of Miami, where important impressions of the candidates' performance were just beginning to gel. And President Bush was on the receiving end."

• October 4 -- Chafee's "Painful Journey of Political Conscience" to Diss Bush
Sheryl Gay Stolberg throws another softball to a Republican critical of Bush, liberal Sen. Lincoln Chafee: "Pensive and intellectual, he hardly appears suited for the bare-knuckle world of politics and seems to exist on the periphery of things, ambling about the Capitol like an absent-minded professor making a study of its power-hungry inhabitants."

• October 4 -- Swing Voters "Liking What They See" In Kerry
The Times stresses optimism in the Kerry camp and worries among Bush partisans: "If Ms. Curtis and a few other previously undecided Ohioans who came to Mr. Kerry's town-hall meeting here and some new polls are any indication, swing voters are giving Mr. Kerry a second look after his strong showing in the first presidential debate. And they are liking what they see."

• October 1 -- Must-See TV: "Everybody Hates Women"?
Television today is infected with sexism and racism, says TV-beat reporter Alessandra Stanley: "Television executives have giddily reverted to the sexism and racism that brought the humor police down on the networks in the first place….It's not just that Everybody Loves Raymond. Now Everybody Hates Women."

• October 1 -- Swift Boat Vets Anti-Kerry "Calumnies"
A.O. Scott reviews a pro-Kerry biopic and gets in a crack at the Swift Boat Veterans.

• October 1 -- Bush "Unnerved" by Kerry's Vietnam Reference
Alessandra Stanley thinks Kerry put Bush on the defensive: "The cameras demonstrated that Mr. Bush cannot hear criticism without frowning, blinking and squirming (he even sighed once). "

• October 1 -- Still Misquoting Cheney
Adam Nagourney sticks mostly to facts in his rundown of the first presidential debate but works in yet another misleading anecdote about Dick Cheney.

• October 1 -- Kerry Defies GOP's "Worst Caricatures"
Todd Purdum argues Kerry "established himself" in the first presidential debate: "He may well have struck undecided voters as not much like the Republicans' worst caricatures. He spoke plainly, politely, but did not shrink from direct and pointed criticism of Mr. Bush's policies."

• September 30 -- Bush Still Looking for "Solid Lead" in Polls
Campaign reporter Adam Nagourney is still minimizing Bush's lead.

• September 29 -- Still No Liberals for Gay Marriage
Sarah Kershaw and James Dao track the state-to-state prospects of gay marriage bans and pile on the "conservative" labels.

• September 29 -- Kerry "Holds Back on Purpose"?
Todd Purdum's front-page story could be a morale booster for Kerry supporters: "As Mr. Kerry approaches this campaign's home stretch, with the first debate tomorrow night, there is much in his past to suggest that he believes elections are won in the endgame, that he holds back on purpose and begins concentrating intently on the race only when he believes the voters are, too." Also, debating tips from Al Gore.

• September 28 -- "Unsubstantiated" Swift Boats Watch
There they go again: "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which drew national attention with advertisements making unsubstantiated attacks against Mr. Kerry's military service…."

• September 28 -- Clam Up About Iraq, Cheney
The Times seems to want Dick Cheney to stop talking about all that scary terror stuff: "But these advance workers could not control what Mr. Cheney said or predict that his dark message would be out of sync with what many in his ardently supportive audience wanted to hear: his stand on domestic social issues."

• September 28 -- Skipping Ted Kennedy's Incendiary Claims
The Times covers an "acerbic" Ted Kennedy speech but leaves out the part where Kennedy claims Bush has made a "nuclear 9/11" in the U.S. more likely.

• September 27 -- Earth to Clymer
An op-ed page by former Times man Adam Clymer compares the Swift Boat veterans to flat-Earthers.

• September 27 -- Bush's "Un-American" Campaign
"President Bush and his surrogates are taking their re-election campaign into dangerous territory" is the baleful opening sentence of a Times editorial, "An Un-American Way to Campaign."

• September 27 -- Democratic Patriotism Under Attack, As Usual
Adam Nagourney and Robin Toner pass on as credible liberal complaints that Republicans are questioning the patriotism of Democrats.

• September 23 -- Playing Up Deficits, Not Tax Relief
Edmund Andrews' front-page "Deal In Congress To Keep Tax Cuts, Widening Deficit" paints a tax-cut extension in grim terms.

• September 23 -- The Times and the "U" Word
News flash: Times reporter uses "unsubstantiated" to refer to something other than the Swift Boat vets.

• September 22 -- Mary, Mary, Best be Wary
Is CBS throwing veteran producer Mary Mapes overboard in Memogate's wake?

• September 22 -- No "Surprise" Here: Times Plays Up Bush Guard Story
The Times editorializes: "…it was somewhat surprising that Mr. Bush's National Guard service again became a big topic of debate." Yet the Times put the controversy on its front page twice recently. Plus: The editors finally tackle Memogate.

• September 21 -- Kerry Suffering "For Changing His Mind"
Damien Cave wonders why Kerry is being hurt by such a "ridiculous" term as "flip-flop": "Yet Senator John Kerry seems to be suffering in the polls for changing his mind. Republicans have tagged him a flip-flopper, and the mildly ridiculous term has somehow become a potent weapon."

• September 21 -- "Consumer Advocate" Nader
Managing editor Michael Oreskes reviews Ralph Nader's new book and wonders what happened to the old left-wing activist--er, "consumer advocate."

• September 21 -- Florida Now, Florida Forever for the Times
The Times editorial page still hasn't recovered from Florida 2000, and also accuses Bush of "sweeping aside the Constitution."

• September 20 -- "Tendentious" Fact-Checking at the Times
A "Fact Check" feature on the campaign defends (no surprise) John Kerry. And the online version includes an amusing gaffe never meant for publication.

• September 20 -- Softening the Poll Blow for Kerry
The latest Times poll shows Bush with a nine-point lead among likely voters, but the paper's headline softens the blow. Also: Is the Times stamping out "unsubstantiated" descriptions of the Swift Boat Vets?

• September 20 -- Still Picking Over Bush's Vietnam Service
CBS's big "scoop" about Bush's National Guard duty may have blown up in the network's face, but the New York Times is still poking around the ashes: "This year of inconsequence has grown increasingly consequential for President Bush because of persistent, unanswered questions about his National Guard service."

• September 17 -- Bad Labeling Habits on the Trail
Richard Stevenson and Robin Toner indulge in some unhealthy labeling bias while on the campaign trail with Bush.

• September 17 -- The Times on Discredited Dan Rather
Jim Rutenberg focuses on Dan Rather and CBS's discredited anti-Bush "memos," running down Rather's past conflicts with conservatives and finds that even some at CBS are dubious of the anchor's latest "scoop."

• September 17 -- Why Should Kerry Have to Denounce Moveon.org Ad?
The Times lets Kerry off the hook regarding a campaign ad from the left-wing Moveon.org--yet the Times repeatedly linked Bush to ads from the Swift Boat Veterans and insisted Bush denounce them.

• September 16 -- Edwards As "Moderate," Plus More Misleading on Cheney
An off-lead story on Kerry's suddenly invisible running mate misleadingly labels Edwards a moderate and repeats a misreading of Dick Cheney's war-on-terror speech.

• September 16 -- Kitty Kelley Finds a Cozy Home at the Times
The Times finds a cute way to put Kitty Kelley's unsubstantiated anti-Bush allegations (or as Frank Bruni would say, "thoroughly researched piece of work") into the paper.

• September 16 -- Burying Burkett's Bush-as-Hitler Line
Ralph Blumenthal profiles possible CBS "memo" source Bill Burkett and doesn't delve into Burkett's previous conspiratorial claims about Bush: "We must examine the ruthless and dictatorial rise of yet another of the three small men--one whose name is not spoken out of fear of reprisal, but his name was Adolf."

• September 16 -- Experts Split on Authenticity of CBS's "Memos"?
The Times (unlike the Washington Post) buries its update on CBS's apparently fraudulent "memos" while again insisting there's still room for doubt: "For every expert who said the documents were patently false, another insisted they could be authentic."

• September 15 -- Bush Opponents "Dragged From Events by Their Hair"
Elisabeth Bumiller harps on a week-old incident: "But on the campaign trail, where the invited crowds are kept friendly because opponents are sometimes arrested for wearing anti-Bush T-shirts or dragged from events by their hair, there is a different President Bush." The Times has yet to comment on an anti-Kerry heckler being attacked at a recent rally in Cincinnati.

• September 15 -- The Times Digs Deeper Into Anti-Bush "Memos"
The Times' latest story on CBS's "memos" has some interesting new information on the network and its likely source for the discredited documents.

• September 13 -- Kerry Vents to Times Reporter
John Kerry calls David Sanger and vents about Bush.

• September 13 -- Poor Old Democrats
John Broder gives credence to an old nostrum consoling to Democrats and the liberal media: Republicans just play rougher.

• September 10 -- Did Bush Get a Bounce? "Yes, but…."
Campaign reporter Adam Nagourney on Friday reluctantly admits the obvious--Bush got a bounce out of his convention.

• September 10 -- "If A Republican Had Said That…."
How would the Times react if Bush told an audience to "beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing"?

• September 10 -- Bumiller All Wet on "Explosive" Cheney Remark
More misleading by the Times regarding a recent Dick Cheney quote on fighting the terror war--plus, a tale of two hecklers.

• September 9 -- Taking Cheney Far Out of Context, Again
Katharine Seelye and Ralph Blumenthal treat seriously the new controversy over Bush's Vietnam service--quite a change from how the Times treated the Swift Boat Veterans.

• September 9 -- Taking Anti-Bush Charge Seriously After Dismissing Swifties With Contempt
Katharine Seelye and Ralph Blumenthal treat seriously the new controversy over Bush's Vietnam service--quite a change from how the Times treated the Swift Boat Veterans.

• September 9 -- More Mangling of Cheney's Terror Comments
Adam Nagourney turns media-mangled comments from Dick Cheney on the terror war into a fretful article: "Is it possible for a candidate to go too far, and alienate the very voters he is trying to court?....The remarks were among the more dire offered in a presidential campaign since 1964, when Lyndon B. Johnson broadcast a television advertisement, with a mushroom cloud, warning that the election of Barry Goldwater would lead to nuclear war."

• September 8 -- "Unsubstantiated" Watch
The score is 17-0 so far.

• September 8 -- Republicans "Condemning Gay Parents"
David Kirkpatrick says the Republican platform "condemns gay parents."

• September 8 -- "War Hero" Kerry vs. "Sissy" George Bush
Frank Rich is back from vacation and in full foam: "Only in an election year ruled by fiction could a sissy who used Daddy's connections to escape Vietnam turn an actual war hero into a girlie-man."

• September 8 -- Lauding Left-Wing Convention Disruptors
Diane Cardwell seems to admire a radical left-wing group's successful disruption of convention speeches by Bush and Cheney: "While thousands of demonstrators chanted on the streets, drawing only glancing attention from the Republicans, their members were inside Madison Square Garden night after night, unfurling banners and baring their slogans, forcing even the president to take notice."

• September 8 -- NYT Clips Cheney's War on Terror Quote
A misleading headline tops a misleading front-page story by David Sanger and David Halbfinger on Cheney's recent remarks about the war on terror.

• September 7 -- Gee, Every Single One of Them?
Rick Lyman has the scoop on Dick Cheney.

• September 7 -- Democratic Heartburn on the Times' Front Page
There's a heaping helping of Democratic angst on Sunday's front page, painting a picture of a disillusioned Kerry camp.

• September 7 -- Reviving an Anti-Bush Sr. Urban Legend
Kate Zernike revives an anti-Bush Sr. urban legend, the myth that during the 1992 campaign, George H.W. Bush marveled at a grocery-store scanner as if he'd never seen one before.

• September 7 -- Dowd Defends Times Against Bush's Quote "Distortion"
Maureen Dowd, of all people, rises to defend the historical honor of her paper by accusing George Bush in his acceptance speech of distorting words from a Times column penned in 1946. Dowd's defense is rather ironic, considering her own history of distorting quotes.

• September 7 -- "Questioning Kerry's Patriotism," Again
David Halbfinger claims Kerry's patriotism was questioned at the Republican convention: "But he returned to the offensive after his character, voting history and even his patriotism were questioned by Republicans in New York this week, and after Democrats faulted him for a hesitant, halting response last month to televised attacks on his military record." Halbfinger also dashes cold water on polls showing Bush with a substantial lead.

• September 7 -- Polls, Schmolls, Says Nagourney: Part II
Adam Nagourney again plays down the apparent success of the Republican convention: "Yet if history is any guide, the contest is far from settled....Polls taken right after a convention offer an inflated sense of a candidate's standing."

• September 7 -- Polls, Schmolls, Says Nagourney: Part I
Adam Nagourney dismisses the latest polls showing Bush with a lead and notes: "Even some Republicans were conceding that Mr. Bush's convention--described by Republicans and Democrats alike as a success--might not ultimately make that much of a difference."

• September 7 -- "Polls on the Move"? More Like: "Clear Lead for Bush"
Bush and Kerry campaigned in Ohio after the Republican convention, leading David Halbfinger and Richard Stevenson to file "With Polls on the Move, Bush and Kerry Take Their Economic Message to Ohio." More accurate would be: "Polls Show Clear Lead for Bush as Candidates Take Their Economic Message to Ohio."

• September 1 -- Pining for Clinton-Era Heaven
Edmund Andrews and Robin Toner portray the Clinton years as positively paradisiacal: "Four years ago, when the nation still seemed in an era of boundless prosperity…."

• September 1 -- Beethoven, Anti-Bush Protester
Music critic Allan Kozinn takes in an anti-Republican "collaborative performance piece" in Manhattan and thought one classical piece fit right in: "Beethoven was an idealist who opposed tyranny, and in the context of a discussion about curtailed civil liberties, elective war and a striving toward empire--the subjects of several of the speeches--it seemed entirely at home."

• September 1 -- Showing the Violent Face of Anti-Bush Protest
The Times doesn't hide the violent, ugly behavior of some anti-Republican protesters: "…marauding crowds cursing at delegates in Midtown and the detention of hundreds of protesters near ground zero--created a day of disorder in a convention week already marked by sustained protests against the Bush administration and the war in Iraq."

• September 1 -- Republicans Disrespecting Veterans?
Jim Rutenberg stirs a controversy among Republican delegates: "When speakers at the Republican convention discuss Senator John Kerry's service in Vietnam, they use words like 'respect,' as Rudolph W. Giuliani did on Monday, giving nary a hint of the unsubstantiated charges by a veteran's group that Mr. Kerry lied to get his war medals, which dominated the campaign for two weeks before the convention began."

• September 1 -- Kerry Slow to Respond to "Unsubstantiated" Assaults
David Halbfinger and Jodi Wilgoren hint at changes to come in the suddenly faltering Kerry campaign and again bash charges from the Swifties: "Mr. Kerry was slow to respond to an assault on his Vietnam combat record and character, with largely unsubstantiated accusations, by the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth."

• September 1 -- Stolberg Profiles "Zig Zag Zell"
Congressional reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg departs from her usual laudatory tone in a profile of "traitor" Democratic Sen. Zell Miller, who's giving the keynote speech tonight for Bush.

• September 1 -- The Republican's "Evangelical" Staging
David Kirkpatrick files another label-heavy story about social conservative influence in the Republican party: "Senator Brownback urged a crowd of several hundred in a packed ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, reprising a theme of a speech by Patrick J. Buchanan from the podium of the 1992 Republican convention that many political experts say alienated moderate voters in that election….at times the staging of the evening resembled an evangelical Protestant church service."

• September 1 -- Context for Kerry Quotes, but None for Bush's "Gaffe"
Elisabeth Bumiller again plays up a Bush "gaffe" to portray Bush on the defensive: But when Bush attacks Kerry in similar fashion, she allows the Kerry campaign to put the quote in context.

• September 1 -- Dick Cheney, Puppet Master
Rick Lyman has an unfavorable profile of Dick Cheney, comparing him to Dan Quayle and letting Democrats gloat: "Kerry campaign officials say that simply by mentioning the vice president or Halliburton, the military contractor he once headed, they can reinforce an image of a Republican administration that has favored the interests of the rich and the powerful…the image persists of Mr. Cheney as the backstage manipulator, the guy who is pulling the president's strings and effectively running the government."

• September 1 -- "Ruthless" Rudy Attacks Kerry
A day late, the Times jumps on Rudy Giuliani's "ruthless" Monday night "pummeling" of John Kerry. One headline: "Loves Dogs, Hates Kerry: A Two-Prong Campaign Tactic." Another line: "The Bush strategy is to vilify Kerry. Compassionately."

• August 31 -- Stop the Presses
"Swing-State Delegates Confident in Bush and Don't Much Like Kerry."

• August 31 -- GHWB vs. NYT
Bush Sr. on the NYT: "It's consistently liberal, consistently opposes the president on almost everything editorial….I've given up on them."

• August 31 -- Uchitelle's Liberal Economic Agenda
Economics reporter Louis Uchitelle again pushes liberal positions on the minimum wage and government health care.

• August 31 -- Apple Takes a Bite Out of the Swift Boat Veterans
Long-time campaign correspondent and former Times Washington bureau chief R.W. Apple interviews his old friend Sen. McCain and discusses the Swifties: "The advertisements questioning Mr. Kerry's war record, the work of a 527 group of Swift boat veterans, were largely financed, at least initially, by rich Texas Republicans, some with past links to Mr. Bush."

• August 31 -- Selling Anti-Republican Art in Manhattan
More anti-Bush art projects: Critic Stephen Holden admires radical novelist E.L. Doctorow, while David Carr celebrates Bush-hating comedian Margaret Cho.

• August 31 -- Cute Communists and Jerky Anarchists in Manhattan
Charming Commies and violent anarchists on the streets of Manhattan.

• August 31 -- Party Centrists in Despair
Katharine Seelye cites Hillary Clinton in a story on the plight of the embattled Republican moderate: "Many moderates are irked that in the party's search for independent and undecided voters, it is putting forward moderate candidates but not a moderate agenda, allowing Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the New York Democrat, to deride the scene as a Potemkin convention."

• August 31 -- Did Republicans "Cross the Line" on 9-11?
Todd Purdum provides the latest criticism of the Bush campaign for discussing the single-most significant event of his presidency, 9-11: "From morning to night, the Republicans strode proudly, even defiantly, right up to that line--if not over it--and the delegates responded with roaring approval…."

• August 31 -- Over-Excitement Over Bush's Terror Comment
Elisabeth Bumiller gets a front-page story out of a Bush comment on the terror war ("I don't think you can win it") and tries to gin up a controversy.

• August 31 -- NYT Springs at "Conservative" Republican Platform -- But Took a Dive Over the Democrat's Liberal One
The "conservative" Republican platform makes the lead headline of the Times and even gets its own front-page story. So how did the paper cover the liberal Democratic platform back in July?

• August 30 -- Another "Unsubstantiated" Portrayal of the Swifties
A front-page story by Adam Nagourney and Elisabeth Bumiller paints a picture of a plugged-in Bush but continues to characterize Swift Boat Veterans claims as "unsubstantiated."

• August 30 -- Republicans Already Upstaged in NYC
Have the protesters already "upstaged" the Republicans?

• August 30 -- Are Swifties Questioning Kerry's Patriotism?
Todd Purdum rehashes an old chestnut of Republicans questioning Democratic patriotism: "But the old culture wars followed [Kerry] into the 21st century, and he now finds himself bombarded by veterans who question not only his patriotism but his honor."

• August 30 -- The Lead Convention Story So Far: Left-Wing Gripes
A Republican Party "controversy" makes the front page of the Times special convention section: David Kirkpatrick's story, "Cheney Daughter's Political Role Disappoints Some Gay Activists," is dominated by criticism from left-wing gay-rights groups.

• August 30 -- Republicans "Putting 9/11 Into August"
The Times helps spread the idea of Republicans politicizing 9/11, while puffing up party controversy.

• August 30 -- Boosting Anti-Bush Crowd Figures, Again
The Times again manages to pass along the highest crowd estimates for an anti-Bush rally in Manhattan, the same way it did during the anti-war protests of March 2003, and passes along more "protesters-as-mainstream-citizens" talking points.

• August 27 -- Bush Bugs Times By Not Bashing Swift Boat Ads
Bush sits down for an interview with David Sanger and Elisabeth Bumiller and bugs them by refusing to specifically condemn the Swift Boat ads.

• August 27 -- Still Ignoring Kerry's "Christmas In Cambodia"
The Times again couches Swift Boat charges in a dubious light: "The Swift boat veterans, whose most serious charges have been contradicted by official records, some of their own past statements and a number of witnesses, got most of their initial money from Texans supportive of the president." Plus: Kerry in Cambodia, ignored again.

• August 26 -- Wilgoren Pitches in for Balanced Campaign Coverage
Jodi Wilgoren makes up for her previous credulous characterization of a Kerry campaign event by noting Kerry supporters can pitch softballs as well: "….the steady stream of softballs that followed could have come from a pitching machine."

• August 26 -- Swift Vets "Have Reopened Wounds" of Vietnam
Timothy Egan's "Wounds Opened Anew As Vietnam Resurfaces" lays the blame on the Swift Boat Veterans: "But the advertisements by one group of veterans attacking the war record of Mr. Kerry, advertisements that are closely tied to supporters of President Bush, have reopened wounds about class and service and frayed some of the unifying threads."

• August 26 -- Did We Mention That They're Conservative?
David Kirkpatrick reviews the Republican Party's platform committee and overdoses on the term "conservative."

• August 25 -- Gunning for the Swift Vets
Jodi Wilgoren follows Kerry to Manhattan and again unleashes loaded terms ("unsubstantiated," "Republican-financed") to characterize the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

• August 25 -- More Guilt by Association for Swifties
Another Times story employs guilt by association against the Swift Boat Veterans: "Mr. Bush's campaign aides have repeatedly said they have no connection to the group, almost all of whose challenges to Mr. Kerry and his war record have been contradicted by official war records and even some of its members' own past statements….it has gradually acknowledged ties to people close to the Republican Party and Mr. Bush's campaign."

• August 25 -- Only "Republican Efforts" to Put Gay Marriage on the Map?
Robin Toner stakes a claim to the front page with "Cheney Stakes Out His Own Position On Gay Marriages." But who put gay marriage on the table in the first place, Bush or gay activists?

• August 25 -- Rummy Trouble on "Eve" of Republican Convention?
Douglas Jehl's front-page story strains to make the just-released Abu Ghraib report a political problem for Bush and Donald Rumsfeld on the "eve of the convention" (still five days away).

• August 24 -- "Correcting" Fred Barnes
TV critic Alessandra Stanley tackles coverage of the Swift Boat Vets.

• August 24 -- Celebrating CBO's Chief for Making the Democrats' Day
The Times celebrates the CBO chief for giving Bush heartburn: "The White House tax cuts are skewed to the wealthiest. Spoken like a…Republican?"

• August 24 -- More Anti-Swift Bias from a Paper "Calling Itself" Objective
Elisabeth Bumiller and Kate Zernike's front-page story on Bush denouncing outside political ads includes a dismissive description of the Swift Boat Vets. Also: What about the "web of ties" between the left-wing Moveon.org and the Kerry campaign?

• August 23 -- Giving Bush an Art Attack
Three more stories celebrating anti-Bush art.

• August 23 -- The Vanishing Republican Moderate, Again
Carl Hulse employs a standard liberal trope: "But [moderates] worry about their real influence in a party dominated by conservatives at a time when the ranks of House moderates are thinning."

• August 23 -- Objecting to the Bush-McCain Marriage of Convenience
After trying its best to bring Sens. John McCain and John Kerry together, the Times now mocks the pairing of President Bush and McCain.

• August 23 -- "Undermining" Swift Vets, Ruing "False Information" on Blogs, Talk Radio
The Times insists that the "most serious contentions" of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth "have been undermined by official records and conflicting accounts." Co-author Adam Nagourney frets in a related story about "this era when so much unsubstantiated or even false information can reach the public through so many different forums, be it blogs or talk-show radio."

• August 20 -- "Fed Up" Kerry Takes on Swift Boat Vets
The headline to Jodi Wilgoren's piece on Kerry's response to the Swift Boat veterans reads "Fed Up, Kerry Says Bush Lets Group 'Do His Dirty Work,'" which assumes Kerry is justified in his counterattack.

• August 20 -- "The Times Attacks the Swift Vets"
The Times finally devotes a front-page story to the Swift Boat veterans challenging John Kerry's Vietnam war record--but it follows a pattern reminiscent of the Clinton scandal days in focusing on the subjects making the attack instead of the actual anti-Democratic charges raised, an angle clear from the headline, "Friendly Fire: The Birth of an Attack on Kerry."

• August 19 -- The Kerry Campaign, at Home in the Times
Another celebratory look at Kerry's front-porch campaigning, nestled in the cozy confines of the House & Home section: "I'd like to invite Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards to my own porch in Spanish Town to discuss my concerns about war, education, the environment and other issues."

• August 19 -- Excusing Kerry's Unenthusiastic VFW Reception
Jodi Wilgoren notes John Kerry received a less enthusiastic reception that Bush did at the VFW convention, but has an excuse ready: "Even Mr. Kerry's mixed reception as he criticized the Iraq war was notable because the V.F.W. typically tilts Republican and tends to stand behind an incumbent commander in chief."

• August 19 -- How Dare Anyone Cover Charges by Swift Boat Vets
The editorial page goes negative on the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and attacks other media for daring to report the story: "The assault is gaining attention, with Internet and cable television zealots debating combat minutiae and even whether Mr. Kerry enacted wartime events with his political future in mind or held secret meetings with Communists."

• August 17 -- Hocking Another Anti-Republican Art Project
Times contributor Edward Gomez files the latest bit of NYT PR for anti-Republican art.

• August 17 -- Same Campaign Tactic, Two Different Takes
Both Kerry and Bush hold informal campaign "chats" with friendly supporters--but while Bush "fields softballs from the faithful" that sometimes "aren't even questions at all," Kerry supporters merely "raised hands with questions rather than waving signs with slogans." Result: Bush comes off as cynical, Kerry as "homespun."

• August 16 -- Reporter, Heal Thyself
Deborah Solomon questions Yale economist Ray Fair about his computer model of the presidential election, which predicts an easy Bush victory: “Are you a Republican?” When he says he supports Kerry, Solomon says: “I’m a little surprised, because your predictions implicit lend support to Bush.” Hmm. Is Solomon saying one’s personal political biases inevitably affect one’s professional work?

• August 12 -- Still Haunted by Max Cleland's Loss
Katharine Seelye's front-page story shows Democrats (and the NYT) still obsessed over Sen. Max Cleland's 2002 defeat: "Republicans ran a television commercial showing pictures of Mr. Cleland, Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, and said Mr. Cleland 'voted against the president's vital homeland security efforts 11 times.' Mr. Cleland lost his seat."

• August 12 -- "Mocking" Bush Drowns Out Kerry's Foreign Policy "Nuance"
Kerry's admission he would still vote to give Bush war authority invites a David Sanger story with the loaded headline: "For Now, Bush's Mocking Drowns Out Kerry's Nuanced Explanation of His War Vote." Also: Where's the NYT on Kerry and Cambodia?

• August 11 -- Halbfinger Omits the Union Label
Reporting on campaign courting of the elderly, David Halbfinger spreads around more Kerry optimism and leaves out the AFL-CIO origins of a "three-year-old political organization that claims three million members" that's endorsing Kerry.

• August 10 -- The Centering of John Kerry
David Halbfinger positions Kerry's campaign in the political center: "Indeed, while Democrats note that Mr. Bush continues to talk about banning gay marriage and late-term abortions, and to visit bedrock Republican areas of the country like Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Mr. Kerry, the Democrat from Massachusetts, is rolling through the Great Plains and the high plateaus of the Southwest preaching fiscal responsibility, tax cuts, gun owners' rights and national security."

• August 10 -- John Edwards Gets "Rock Concert" Reception in Kansas
Thomas Crampton writes: "While the visit may not win Kansas for the Democrats, it may have left an impression on a few Republicans in the audience, including Mr. Elwell, the owner of the bar. 'I voted for Bush in the last election,' Mr. Elwell said, 'but let's just say I am undecided for now.'"

• August 9 -- David Kirkpatrick's Churchgoing Habit
Another month, another story by David Kirkpatrick on the propriety of conservative churches voicing support for the Bush campaign.

• August 9 -- Kerry's Campaign Trail "Bounce"
Relying on anecdotal evidence, David Halbfinger sees a successful Kerry campaign and a struggling Bush: "The polls may not show much of a post-convention bounce for Mr. Kerry, but his crowds tell a different story."

• August 9 -- "In Blow to Bush…."
The online edition of the Times' lead story on disappointing job figures lays it on the line: "In Blow to Bush, Only 32,000 Jobs Created in July."

• August 9 -- Still Harping on Bush's Terror-Warning Timing
Two stories focus on the timing of the latest terror alerts. David Johnston and Richard Stevenson insist: "Among many of the administration's critics and even, to a more limited degree, among some of its allies, Mr. Ridge's performance was seen as fueling disbelief and cynicism," while Eric Lichtblau and Eric Lipton say: "Terrorism experts said the Bush administration may have also hurt its own cause and inspired public skepticism this week in how it alerted the public to the possible attacks."

• August 5 -- Bored In The U.S.A.
"Writer and performer" Bruce Springsteen pens a rather bland op-ed about his beat-Bush concert tour that could have been cobbled from DNC talking points.

• August 5 -- Celebrating a "Joyous Cultural Pep Rally" for Lefties
What does Marxist playwright Tony Kushner have to do to get in the NYT? Just about anything.

• August 5 -- Who'd Have Guessed: WV Republicans Still Like Bush
Elisabeth Rosenthal finds some people still support Bush despite "criticism from the Sept. 11 commission, prison scandals in Iraq and a flat economy at home."

• August 5 -- No "W" in Wisconsin
Stephen Kinzer and Todd Purdum find lots of Bush doubters in Kenosha, Wis.: "…many patrons questioned whether the Bush administration was trying to manipulate the terrorist threat for political advantage." As if such cynicism hasn't been encouraged by media skepticism.

• August 5 -- "Terror Alerts" When Bush "Would Have Benefited"
In contrast to a front-page story, a Times editorial keeps its suspicions up regarding Bush's terror-threat timing: "Some of the past terror alerts have seemed aimless and happened when the Bush administration would have benefited from a change in the political conversation."

• August 5 -- Taking the Terror Threat Seriously
A front-page Times story does--but the editorial page tells another tale.

• August 4 -- Bush Knew of Terror Threat Long Ago?
Adam Nagourney flubs a key fact in an article on the Democratic party's response to terror threats: "…the disclosure that the Bush administration had elevated the alert based on intelligence collected three or four years ago." Nagourney is apparently confusing the age of the terror-related information with the date the Bush administration actually gained the data.

• August 4 -- Bush Playing Politics With Terror?, Part III
David Johnston and Eric Lichtblau: "Senior administration officials said the action was not driven by election-year considerations, but by intelligence reports that described an orchestrated surveillance operation at several large financial institutions. It is now apparent that the information had significant gaps and omissions."

• August 4 -- Bush Playing Politics With Terror?, Part II
Todd Purdum's front-page news analysis recycles charges that Bush is politicizing terror threats.

• August 4 -- Bush Playing Politics With Terror?, Part I
A lead editorial obnoxiously suggests Bush is playing political games with terror warnings: "….it's unfortunate that it is necessary to fight suspicions of political timing, suspicions the administration has sown by misleading the public on security." But a front-page report today, armed with more facts, takes a more sober view of the terror threat.

• August 3 -- One Post-Convention Poll Finding the NYT Likes
"Republicans are fighting back to retain the allegiance of the country's veterans," David Kirkpatrick claims in a story introduced by the loaded subhead "Democratic Push Makes Big Inroads."

• August 3 -- Burying the Kerry "Bounce"
After a Democratic convention that delivered an anemic "bounce" to Kerry, reporter Adam Nagourney accentuates the positive.

• August 2 -- Slowing Economy "Setback" for Bush
The slowing economy again makes headlines in the Times: "The slowdown was a setback to efforts by President Bush to point to solid growth as a validation of his administration's economic policies, and played into the hands of his Democratic challenger, Senator John Kerry."

• August 2 -- Republicans "Looked Like Bullies" Against Daschle
Sheryl Gay Stolberg writes another fawning piece on Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle's fight to retain his Senate seat in South Dakota: "'Lightweight' is not an expression anyone would use to describe Tom Daschle….Daschle is gentle and soft-spoken....The Democratic leader wound up looking like a victim; the Republicans, like bullies."

• August 2 -- "Successful" Democratic Convention? Says Who?
Adam Nagourney and David Halbfinger assert: "News of the terror threat on Sunday also stirred renewed suggestions from some Democrats that the White House was manipulating terror alerts for Mr. Bush's political gain. They said the alert had been issued just as Mr. Kerry emerged from a convention that was described by Republicans and Democrats as a success." But conspiracy theories aside, polls have yet to discern much "success" from the Democratic convention.

• August 2 -- NYT Columnist Finds Huge Bias for Kerry Among Reporters
Columnist John Tierney finds enormous liberal bias among reporters at the Democratic convention: "When asked who would be a better president, the journalists from outside the Beltway picked Mr. Kerry 3 to 1, and the ones from Washington favored him 12 to 1. Those results jibe with previous surveys over the past two decades showing that journalists tend to be Democrats, especially the ones based in Washington."

• July 30 -- Krugman Sees Pro-Bush Media Bias
Paul Krugman accuses the media of pro-Bush bias: "…we're supposed to dislike Mr. Kerry simply because he's wealthy (and not notice that his opponent is, too). Republicans, of all people, are practicing the politics of envy, and the media obediently go along."

• July 30 -- Did Kerry "Turn Corner" With Voters Last Night?
Has John Kerry turned a corner? Todd Purdum thinks so: "Kerry may well have turned a corner on the path toward inspiring his party, and inviting swing voters to put him in the White House. He perspired visibly in the overcrowded hall, but his delivery was fluid, relaxed and assured, and he smiled often."

• July 30 -- Kerry's Got a Little of the "Reagan Glow"
TV reporter Alessandra Stanley gives Kerry's acceptance speech a thumbs-up: "Kerry looked happy. Really happy….his somewhat goofy, bridegroom radiance lit up the screen, lending his performance energy and spirit….Kerry had a little of the glow that Ronald Reagan transmitted in almost every television appearance."

• July 30 -- NYT (Finally) Mentions Kerry's Flip-Flop on Use of Vietnam Footage
Jim Rutenberg files "New Skirmish Over Images From Vietnam in a Kerry Video," which includes details of a Kerry flip-flop regarding his personal Vietnam footage first highlighted on Times Watch.

• July 29 -- More of John "Populist, Not Liberal" Edwards
Edwards: Not liberal, but "populist."

• July 29 -- Democratic "Coherence and Harmony"
Adam Nagourney greets John Kerry: "As the convention moved to its last two days, Democrats, and even a few Republicans, noted its unusual display of coherence and harmony and suggesting--should it last--that that could influence the campaign."

• July 29 -- You Can Trust Kerry, Says Baghdad Jim
David Johnston and Marc Santora couch criticism of Kerry's shifting war stance as "Republican attacks" and "talking points," while bringing in the dubious Rep. Jim (Bush is a liar) McDermott to defend Kerry.

• July 29 -- Embracing Al Sharpton
Michael Slackman covers Al Sharpton's fiery convention speech and sees no worries in the Democratic party's embrace of the hateful activist. In fact, Slackman appears to be the Times' go-to guy for favorable Sharpton pieces that glide over his hate-mongering past.

• July 29 -- Kerry Breaks Pledge to NYT's Keller -- Will the Times Take Note?
Jim Rutenberg on the Kerry bio-pic: "As the film details Mr. Kerry's own war service, in Vietnam, it shows the grainy film that Mr. Kerry brought back, mixed with archival footage of the war." But in 2002 Kerry told current Times Executive Editor Bill Keller "I have no intention of using" that footage.

• July 29 -- Republicans Impugning Kerry's Patriotism?
Todd Purdum lets the Republican "war room" in Boston accuse Democratic convention speakers of breaking the party's "positive" pledge, but turns the tables: "Of course, the Republicans have spent months seeking to impugn Mr. Kerry's character, patriotism and integrity." But have the Republicans actually done that?

• July 28 -- John Kerry's Photo Flop
The Times has an amusing take on the photograph of John Kerry in blue: "The resulting photo made him look like the sperm played by Woody Allen in 'Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex but Were Afraid to Ask.'"

• July 28 -- Democratic Party's "Proud" Civil Rights Legacy?
Robin Toner and Todd Purdum tell of the Democrats efforts to close ranks: "…the party not only paid tribute to its proud legacy as the advocate of…civil rights." But there's a far less cheery history of the Democratic party's "proud legacy."

• July 28 -- Nagourney Spots Liberal Views When Cameras Are Off
Adam Nagourney picks up on some ideological massaging by the Democrats in their speaker line-up for Tuesday night, which the broadcast networks did not air live: "The show was different on Tuesday. It was a night to cheer Howard Dean and Edward M. Kennedy, two liberal icons in the Democratic Party….But when the attention of the networks slipped away, this has in many ways been a familiar kind of Democratic convention, providing a forum to the groups and interests that have long been central to the Democratic coalition…."

• July 28 -- Celebrating Barack Obama
Katharine Seelye celebrates Barack Obama, the convention's keynote speaker, and doesn’t challenge liberal conspiracy theories of black disenfranchisement in Florida.

• July 28 -- Foxy Republicans
The Times claims Republicans are "Fox's natural constituency."

• July 28 -- Howell Raines' Anti-Republican Rage
Now that former Executive Editor Howell Raines is off his NYT leash, his shrieking excoriations of Republicans are even more entertaining: "As long as affluent, educated Republicans are allowed to control wealth in this country, they're willing for the rednecks to pray in the public schools that rich Republicans don't attend, to buy guns at Wal-Marts they don't patronize, to ban safe abortions that are always available to the affluent, and to oppose marriage for gays who don't vote Republican anyway."

• July 28 -- Selling John Kerry's Foreign Policy
America's "international standing" "now suffers from the wide perception of American arrogance, dishonesty and ineptitude" because of Iraq, according to reporter Roger Cohen's front-page story.

• July 27 -- LBJ-style 'credibility gap' for Bush?
Michael Oreskes sees an LBJ-style "credibility gap" for Bush.

• July 27 -- G.O.P. "Pushed Toward Extremism"
Matt Bai pens a cover story for the Times Sunday magazine, citing the intolerance and intemperance resulting from the conservative activism of the 1970s: "…the national dialogue, as a result, has grown less temperate and less tolerant." Bai then warns that new left-wing groups may some day become as "extremist" as the conservatives.

• July 27 -- Lauding Ron Reagan, Dissing Sound Science
The Times continues the misguided stem-cell crusade.

• July 27 -- The Myth of Max Cleland
At the Democratic convention in Boston, the Times trumpets former Democratic Sen. Max Cleland as a Republican victim: "And there was Max Cleland, the triple amputee and former Democratic senator from Georgia whose defeat in 2002--by an opponent who ran commercials linking him to Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden…." Wrong.

• July 26 -- Giving Bush a Raspberry
Jenna Bush sticks her tongue out. Reporter Katharine Seelye wonders if it could damage her father's image in the war on terror.

• July 22 -- Still Spinning the Berger Burglary
Eric Lichtblau and David Sanger work some anti-Bush spin into their front-page story on the Sandy Berger investigation: "…the campaign accused the White House of deliberately leaking news of the investigation and said that Vice President Dick Cheney was involved in strategies to divert attention from the Sept. 11 report to be issued Thursday." Since getting into legal hot water, Berger's apparently been demoted by the Times.

• July 21 -- Bush Campaign on Defensive (Just Ignore What I Wrote Yesterday)
Adam Nagourney and Richard Stevenson write on Bush's "hard-edged" campaign, suggesting he's "had to campaign in solidly Republican areas, and to stress conservative issues, to maintain the enthusiasm of his base. In contrast, Mr. Kerry appears so confident of support from his base…" But Nagourney's own reporting suggests differently.

• July 21 -- Bungling The Sandy Berger Burglary
The Times offleads with the wacky Sandy Berger story, but reporter Eric Lichtblau doesn't mention Berger apparently took classified documents on more than one occasion. The Times' earlier coverage also leaves out a lot.

• July 20 -- Another Bumiller Scoop: Bush Won't Take Long Vacation
Dog days on the White House beat? Last week, Elisabeth Bumiller made waves with a front-page rumor about Cheney leaving the ticket. Now she has another news flash: Bush won't be taking another long vacation this election year.

• July 19 -- Don't Be Fooled by Facts: McCain Still Hostile to Bush-Cheney
Judging by Thomas Crampton's article, the Times is still eager to use Sen. John McCain as a wedge issue against Bush, despite the fact McCain is now campaigning for him.

• July 19 -- NYT Again Leads With Bad-News Economic Spin
More front-page bad economic spin begs the question: Is the Times talking down a strong economy in an election year?

• July 15 -- Front-Page "Rumors" of Cheney Resignation
Elisabeth Bumiller tries to stir up some controversy in the Bush camp with a front-page "rumor" that Vice President Dick Cheney is leaving the ticket.

• July 14 -- Nagourney vs. "Fierce" Bush
Adam Nagourney is sensitive to Bush campaign rhetoric: "President Bush swept across three states that he narrowly lost in 2000 on Tuesday with a vigorous defense of his record and a fierce attack on Senator John Kerry….Mr. Bush went to lengths and used often harsh language in trying to discredit Mr. Kerry."

• July 14 -- Ron Reagan Jr. Steals the Show
Thomas Crampton trumpets Ron Reagan Jr.'s scheduled speech at the Democratic National Convention: "Republicans may have placed the feel-good legacy of Ronald Reagan center stage, but the Democrats just stole the best actor in a supporting role."

• July 13 -- Sunny Skies in the West for Dems
Reporter Carl Hulse delivers Democratic optimism: "Democrats See New Hope in Republican Strongholds."

• July 13 -- Times Reporters Endorse Kerry?
It's no secret the Times will endorse John Kerry for president. But in an interview with the Times, Kerry suggests he's been endorsed by a couple of reporters as well.

• July 12 -- No Hypocrisy Among Wealthy "Populist" Democrats?
Michael Moss and Kate Zernike dip their toes lightly into the matter of hypocrisy on the wealthy Democratic ticket--but quickly draw back.

• July 12 -- "Wedge Issues" Only on the Right?
Jodi Wilgoren reports from North Carolina: "Mr. Kerry made an oblique reference to conservatives' efforts to use gay marriage and other wedge issues to win Bible Belt states like North Carolina." Does "wedge issue" means "popular issue disliked by liberals"?

• July 12 -- "Under Pressure from Conservatives…."
The Times puts its standard stamp on the gay rights issue in a front-page story by Adam Nagourney and David Kirkpatrick: "…under pressure from conservatives, President Bush is escalating his support for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage." Are Democrats never "pressured by liberals?"

• July 8 -- Dem Ticket Focuses on "Economic Anxiety"--As Does the Times
The gloomy tone of Edmund Andrews' "Revived Focus on Anxiety Over Economic Conditions" plays into the Kerry-Edwards theme of economic anxiety: "Other indicators suggest that Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards have ample opportunities to tap into popular discouragement and insecurity….A particularly ominous indicator for Mr. Bush is the apparently high number of people who have stopped looking for work and dropped out of the labor force."

• July 8 -- Wilgoren Watches the Democrats
Jodi Wilgoren, one of the paper's more balanced political reporters, nabs the front page with her story on the new Kerry-Edwards ticket and at least hints at the ticket's liberal bent.

• July 7 -- The "Relentlessly Upbeat" John Edwards?
Does this sound like Reagan to you? "We will say no to kids going hungry, to kids who don't have the clothes to keep them warm, and no forever to any American working full-time and living in poverty. Not in our America!"

• July 7 -- Edwards' Liberalism Goes Unmentioned…
The National Journal rated Kerry's VP pick John Edwards the fourth-most liberal senator in 2003. Yet the Times fails to label Edwards as liberal. Things were just a bit different when Bush picked Dick Cheney in 2000.

• July 6 -- Good News for Repubs: Dao Thinks They're Doomed
James Dao carries dire news for Ohio Republicans: "The disarray is so great, Democrats contend, that it could hurt President Bush's ability to win Ohio, a pivotal state for the Republicans." Given Dao's track record, should Republicans be worried?

• July 6 -- Embracing "Weak" Employment Report
Eduardo Porter offers a harsh assessment of a new jobs report: "…until new evidence emerges, the June employment report left a broad impression of weakness." That's no surprise to Times watchers, used to the paper talking up the negative when it comes to the economy.

• July 1 -- Bush Ad "Troubling." Nancy Reagan, "Attack Dog"
Alessandra Stanley uses an online exhibition of presidential campaign ads past and present to hit a Bush ad she finds "troubling." Also: Do only Republicans engage in attacks?

• July 1 -- Nader's Reputation "Tarnished" by Mixing With Repubs?
With Bush and Kerry neck-and-neck (and Ralph Nader siphoning off some of Kerry's vital support), the Times is putting front-page stories containing criticism of liberal hero Nader on its front page. Coincidence?

• June 30 --