About
	Contact Us
	Articles
	Topic Index
	Reports
	Quotes
	On the Web
	Links
	TW Tracker
	Support

Todd Purdum

• 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 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 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."

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

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

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

• 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 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 -- 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."

• June 10 -- Bill Clinton's "Fiscal Discipline" Ended Reagan Deficits
Todd Purdum's tribute to Reagan also salutes Bill Clinton's "fiscal discipline."

• June 7 -- Reagan's "Seeming Indifference" to the Poor
Todd Purdum paints a picture of Ronald Reagan's legacy, from the Schwarzenegger governorship to the Supreme Court, but ends on Reagan's "seeming indifference to civil rights, the environment and the plight of the poor."

• May 6 -- Purdum’s Pablum
The FBI files on John Kerry’s activities with Vietnam Veterans Against the War are released, and naturally, reporter Todd Purdum focused on how the FBI found Kerry was “glib, cool…moderate.”

• March 23 -- Richard Clarke "Undercuts" Bush: "Basic Credibility in Jeopardy"
Anti-Bush accusations from Richard Clarke make the Times front page, while a "News Analysis" enthusiastically portrays Bush as "on the defensive" with his "basic credibility in jeopardy."

• March 19 -- “Unavoidable” McCain, Avoidable Zell
Reporter Todd Purdum related with relish on the front page how Sen. John McCain proclaimed on morning TV that John Kerry was not “quote, weak on defense.” Utterly left out: any Republican outrage. This is not how Sen. Zell Miller was treated for his friendship with George W. Bush.

• March 3 -- Incoming Bush Attacks, Sir!
From Todd Purdum's front-page story on John Kerry, conquering hero: "In war and politics, Mr. Kerry has proved himself in past battles and he professed to be ready for the fray….He may be from Massachusetts, Mr. Kerry seemed to be all but shouting, but Michael S. Dukakis he is not."

• January 20 -- Howard Dean Morphs Into Howard Beale
Deaniacs, start your emails…

• December 16 -- After Saddam's Capture: Beating Around the Bushes
Todd Purdum personalizes the capture of Saddam Hussein as the Bush family settling scores with an ancient enemy (Dana Carvey is cited). Spying a potential wedge between the Bushes, Purdum takes up Bush Sr.'s side: "There were ample reasons for the first President Bush not to go after Mr. Hussein."

• December 9 -- Gore and Lieberman, Centered
Al Gore's shocking endorsement of the candidacy of Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (and his implicit rejection of former running mate Sen. Joe Lieberman) gives the paper another chance to insist Gore and Lieberman are "centrists."

• October 21 -- Mr. Dee Dee Myers Slams Anti-Clinton Book
The credit line to a harshly negative review of an anti-Clinton biography notes reviewer "Todd S Purdum, a Washington correspondent for The Times, covered the Clinton White House." It could have gone on to say, "…and is the husband of former Clinton press secretary Dee Dee Myers."