great Wolcott smackdown of Nagourney/NYT/Jeb Bush

[Demit]

One of his best!!


Puppy Licks Master's Face
Posted by James Wolcott

Have an airsick bag handy should you embark upon Adam Nagourney's lipsmacking love letter to Jeb Bush on page one of today's NY Times. Nagourney, who once boasted on Charlie Rose that he had more charisma than poor John Kerry (a claim that one glimpse of Nagourney in action or repose would refute), has found a load of charisma he can look up to and fetch slippers for.

"In a Polarizing Case, Jeb Bush Cements His Political Stature," reads the Times hed.

The headline could have read "blah blah blah Jeb Bush Raises His Political Visibility." That's neutral-sounding, accurate. But by using the statesmanlike word "stature," the hed makes it sound as if Jeb Bush is having a Profile in Courage crisis moment with the Terri Schiavo case (when, more likely, he and his brother have blundered through overpandering, but let that go for the moment).

Now, Nagourney isn't responsible for the headline, of course, but it's faithful to the awed gulp of his latest exhibition in political naivete.

more at http://jameswolcott.com/