Nuanced Reporting
Reported by Eleanor - September 7, 2004 -
Special Report with Brit Hume (Sept. 7, 6:00 p.m.) presented the two political campaigns in a very different light.
Jim Angle showed Bush as quoting Kerry on Iraq as the "the wrong war, at the wrong time." And - these are the same words that Howard Dean used. "Kerry is a man in search of a position. We were right to make America safer by removing Sadam from power." Cheney followed with the comment that we must make the "right choice" on November 2. If we make the "wrong choice," we're in danger of being hit again. John Edwards responded with this paraphrase of Cheney, "If you go to the polls and elect anyone but us, and we have another attack, it's your fault."
Hume said that Kerry is trying to "fine tune" his message with less "pontification" and more "punch."
Carl Cameron quoted Kerry as accusing the president of siding with companies outsourcing jobs overseas, rather than jobs for the American people, adding that Kerry would support "some" outsourcing. He is trying to clarify his "nuanced positions." He's coming from an "underdog mode." He "bemoaned" the 1,000 dead in Iraq, but now calls Iraq part of the war on terror.
Comment: Notice that the republican theme of Kerry as changing positions is reinforced at least four times in these two reports, and the language is very negative toward Kerry: "man in search of a position; pontification; Kerry would support 'some' outsourcing; nuanced positions; underdog mode; bemoaned the dead; calls Iraq part of the war on terror." The Kerry points against Bush are not analyzed in the same way. Kerry comes out on the short end again.
