From the WSJ Opinion Archives
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Tailgunner
Joan Flies Standby
Yesterday we
wondered if the New York Times had made an illegal campaign contribution
to the MoveOn.org political action committee. The Times, you'll recall, published
a full-page ad Monday in which MoveOn attacked Gen. David Petraeus in McCarthyite
terms. The New York Post reported that the Times had given MoveOn.org a $102,000
discount from its usual $167,000 rate--which, if true, would be an illegal in-kind
contribution under campaign finance laws.
The Times offers this explanation in a news story today:
Catherine J. Mathis, a spokeswoman for The New York Times Company, said the advertising department does not base its rates on political content. She also said the department does not disclose the rates it charges for individual advertisements. But she did say that "similar types of ads are priced in the same way." She said the department charges advocacy groups $64,575 for full-page, black-and-white advertisements that run on a "standby" basis, meaning an advertiser can request a specific day and placement but is not guaranteed them.
In other words, the Times prices ads similarly to the way airlines price seats: Not everyone pays full fare, and you can get a deep discount if you are flexible. That allows the paper to sell space that might otherwise go unsold. Assuming that this is all on the up-and-up, there's no legal problem, any more than there is if a campaign pays less than full fare for a plane ticket.
But wait. This was a very time-sensitive ad. For it to have the desired effect (or, as actually happened, to backfire spectacularly), it pretty much had to run Monday. Under such circumstances, why would MoveOn buy an ad without guaranteed placement? That would be like flying standby to your own wedding.
Maybe MoveOn figured out a way to game the Times's system. Perhaps, for instance, it is possible to buy a full-price ad after learning that a standby ad will not run on a given day (although that would seem to defeat the purpose of the pricing scheme by allowing advertisers to get guaranteed placement without necessarily paying for it).
But it may also be that the Times advertising department was overly accommodating to MoveOn. Presumably the ad salesmen have an idea of how likely a customer is to get the desired placement for a standby ad. If ad sales are sluggish enough (and Crain's New York Business suggests they are), the salesmen may know well in advance that a standby ad will run.
But if someone at the Times apprised the MoveOn.org PAC in advance that its "standby" ad would definitely run Monday, then the Times gave the PAC guaranteed placement at the standby rate--i.e., it sold something worth $167,000 for $65,000. It is hard to see how that is anything other than an in-kind contribution.
It is the view of this column that the Times should be able to sell ads to whomever it wishes under whatever terms it wishes. But we live in an era of heavy regulation of campaign speech, thanks in part to the persuasive efforts of the New York Times. It does not seem too much to ask that the New York Times Co. adhere, with transparency and integrity, to the high standards its editorialists seek to impose by law on everyone else.
An
Assassination in Anbar
"A high-profile Sunni Arab sheik who collaborated with the American military
in the fight against jihadist militants in western Iraq was killed in a bomb
attack on Thursday near his desert compound," the New York Times reports
from Baghdad:
The attack appeared to be a precisely planned assassination meant to undermine one of the Bush administration's trumpeted achievements in the war.
Two guards were also killed in the attack on the sheik, Abdul Sattar Buzaigh al-Rishawi, who just last week shook hands with President Bush during the president's surprise visit to Anbar to extol the Sunni cooperation that has made the province, once Iraq's most dangerous, relatively safe. . . .
In his speech [last night], Mr. Bush acknowledged the killing. "Earlier today, one of the brave tribal sheiks who helped lead the revolt against Al Qaeda was murdered," he said. "In response, a fellow Sunni leader declared: 'We are determined to strike back and continue our work.' And as they do, they can count on the continued support of the United States."
One may hope that, just as MoveOn.org's character assassination of Gen. Petraeus backfired, al Qaeda's actual assassination of Sheik Sattar will harden Iraqis' resolve to fight al Qaeda.
The assassination also underscores the sheer vapidity of the mantra that Iraq has nothing to do with terrorism. What could be more central to fighting terror than defeating "jihadist militants"--the Times's own characterization!--who assassinate pro-American leaders?
Even the Times, in this same article, backs away from its adherence to the mantra:
No group had claimed the assassination by late Thursday, but security officials in Iraq appeared convinced that responsibility lay with Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, the home-grown extremist group that American intelligence agencies say is foreign-led. The extent of its links to Osama bin Laden's network is unclear.
Suddenly the links between al Qaeda in "Mesopotamia" and al Qaeda everywhere are "unclear" rather than nonexistent. Interestingly, even Reuters does not go so far as to insist that al Qaeda in Iraq has nothing to do with al Qaeda; a report on a propaganda tape from the group refers to it as "an al Qaeda-led group in Iraq," and the headline, straightforwardly if awkwardly, calls it "Iraq Qaeda."
The
Joke's On Us
We were intrigued by the headline on this story from CNSNews.com: "September
15 Anti-War Protest to Be 'Unlike Any Other.' " The first paragraph
repeats the point:
Organizers of an anti-war protest scheduled for Sept. 15 said Wednesday that the demonstration will be "unlike any other" as activists gather to demand an immediate end to the war.
Wow, unlike any other! What could that mean? Are they going to take showers before marching? Are they going to demand that the enemy give up rather than our side? We read on:
The protest, organized by Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER), begins with a rally near the White House, continues with a march to the U.S. Capitol, and concludes with a "die-in" that organizers estimate will involve approximately 1,000 people lying down near the Capitol in a symbolic effort to represent dead U.S. soldiers and dead Iraqis.
Brian Becker, ANSWER's national coordinator, told reporters at a news conference Wednesday that the demonstration "will be unlike any other anti-war protest in recent years because it will culminate in a massive civil disobedience," referring to the "die-in."
In other words, it's going to be like every other "antiwar" protest. OK, CNSNews, fool us once, shame on you . . .
The
Singing Senators
"Senate Democrats Rap Petraeus Plan for Iraq"--headline, Reuters,
Sept. 12
Someone
Censored Up Us the Bomb
Reuters reports from Brussels on the latest Eurocrat antiterror brainstorm:
Internet searches for bomb-making instructions should be blocked across the European Union, the bloc's top security official said on Monday.
Internet providers should also prevent access to any site giving instructions on how to make a bomb, EU Justice and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini said in an interview.
"I do intend to carry out a clear exploring exercise with the private sector . . . on how it is possible to use technology to prevent people from using or searching dangerous words like bomb, kill, genocide or terrorism," Frattini told Reuters.
Zero tolerance for "dangerous words" on the Internet? This is an idea so preposterous we're surprised it isn't the product of a committee made up of Red Chinese commissars and American public school administrators. If the EU actually implemented Frattini's plan, the result would be a proliferation of jihadi proxy servers and a lot of Europeans confused when they try to search terms like "bomb shelter," "Kill Bill" and "Darfur genocide."
In other news from across the pond, Fox News reports that Germany isn't exactly stepping up to the plate when it comes to dealing with Iran:
Germany . . . notified its allies last week that the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel refuses to support the imposition of any further sanctions against Iran that could be imposed by the U.N. Security Council.
The announcement was made at a meeting in Berlin that brought German officials together with Iran desk officers from the five member states of the Security Council. It stunned the room, according to one of several Bush administration and foreign government sources who spoke to FOX News, and left most Bush administration principals concluding that sanctions are dead.
The Germans voiced concern about the damaging effects any further sanctions on Iran would have on the German economy--and also, according to diplomats from other countries, gave the distinct impression that they would privately welcome, while publicly protesting, an American bombing campaign against Iran's nuclear facilities.
We guess they have to "publicly protest" any military action, even if it proves necessary. After all, pacifism is part of the German national character.
Wannabe
Pundits
Sports commentators who wish they were political pundits have had a field day
with the controversy over the New England Patriots' stealing signals from the
New York Jets last week. But ESPN's Bill Simmons manages a twofer:
The truth is, there's probably no saving the Pats. Everyone outside New England was searching for a legitimate reason to hate them for the past four years, and now they have an excellent one. Spying on opponent's signals is just plain seedy. It's one step above playing footsie with someone in an airport men's room. It's a disgrace. It's embarrassing.
At first glance, this seems like just an ugly slur against homosexuals. But of course Simmons is referring obliquely to the recent ensnaring of a conservative Republican politician in a lewd-conduct sting. So he not only gets to play political pundit but to avail himself of a liberal safe harbor for homophobia. A twofer!
When Good Monks Go Bad
- "At 72, the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since 1959, is beginning
to plan his succession, saying that he refuses to be reborn in Tibet so long
as it's under Chinese control."--Newsweek,
Aug. 20 issue
- "Berserk Llama Attacks Woman in Central Oregon"--headline, KGW-TV Web site (Portland), Sept. 13
'Did
You Send Me An Email? Oh Wait, Now I Remember!'
"Now You Can Recall Your Email"--headline, Business Standard (India),
Sept. 14
That
Sounds Reasonable
"Witness Says He Tried to Protect Johnson"--headline, Waterloo-Cedar
Falls (Iowa) Courier, Sept. 13
How
the Venue Got Up There, We'll Never Know
"Man Trying to Sneak Into Concert Venue Impaled on Fence"--headline,
FoxNews.com, Sept. 14
'ManBearPig,
ManBearPig, Oink, Growl'
"Genetics Make Salmon Bear Trout"--headline, Times of India, Sept. 14
Breaking
News From 1991
"Democrats Oppose Bush Iraq Plan"--headline, Reuters, Sept. 13
Breaking
News From 1993
"Clinton Readies Her U.S. Health Plan as Pitfalls Loom"--headline,
Bloomberg, Sept. 14
News You Can Use
- "Trains Make for Noisy Neighbors"--headline, Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel, Sept. 13
- "UPDATE: Head May Be Connected to Torso"--headline, WXYZ-TV Web site (Detroit), Sept. 14
Bottom Stories of the Day
- "Barker Joins Hall of Famous Missourians"--headline, Associated
Press, Sept. 13
- "Mr. Met Named to Mascot Hall of Fame"--headline, WINS-AM
Web site (New York), Sept. 14
- " 'Cell Phone Ban in K'taka Schools Will Not Affect Spice' "--headline,
United
News of India, Sept. 13
- "Hillary Clinton's Brother Settles Lawsuit With Tennessee Carnival Operator"--headline, FoxNews.com, Sept. 13
Great Moments
in Public Education
Here's an amazing story from the Chico (Calif.) Enterprise:
Bidwell Junior High School administrators said a letter sent home with students in an eighth-grade class Tuesday was a good idea for a history lesson, with bad execution.
The letter, which appeared to ask parents to renounce their U.S. citizenship, prompted phone calls to the school from several irate recipients.
Principal Joanne Parsley said teacher Mike Brooks never intended to have parents sign the letters, or forward them on to President Bush, to whom they are addressed. . . .
Reached at home, the teacher said his U.S. History class is studying the Declaration of Independence, and he decided to write a letter putting the document into modern language. His intention, he said, was to send it home for parents to review, and possibly discuss with their children.
He concluded the letter with "After careful consideration of the facts of our current situation, I have decided to announce to everyone that I am no longer a citizen of the United States, but a free and independent member of the global community."
"The point was, I wanted to ask parents if they would sign such a letter if conditions that existed prior to the Revolution were happening now," he said. "I just wanted to start a discussion."
Not surprisingly, it turns out that Brooks's complaints include the detention of terrorists at Guantanamo and the terrorist surveillance program. So under his scheme, pre-Revolutionary conditions exist now only if you assume that al Qaeda is the moral equivalent of the American colonists.
What's most astonishing is that the Enterprise reports that a few parents actually signed the letters and sent them back to the school. Maybe the school district should hire them.
(Carol Muller helps compile Best of the Web Today. Thanks to Michael Segal, Henry Blaufox, Raymond Hull, Fred Danzig, Jack Tomsky, Michael Driscoll, Tim Willis, John Light, Philip Ellison, Lewis Chilton, David Englet, Goeff Hazel, Martin Brennan, Bryan Fischer, Jim Miller, Don Stewart, Michael Benn, Armin Brueckner, Robert Koslover, Rob White, John Sanders, Lee Harris and David Walton. If you have a tip, write us at opinionjournal@wsj.com, and please include the URL.)
Today on OpinionJournal:
- Review & Outlook: Borking Mr. Olson: President Reid gives AG orders to the White House.
- Kim Strassel: Look who won Petraeus week.
- Peggy Noonan: Gen. Petraeus brings some clarity to the Iraq debate.
- The Journal Editorial Report: Tune in this weekend for discussions of the Iraq testimony and the economy.
And on the Taste page:
- Naomi Riley: A match made on Earth: When Christians date outside the fold.
- Meghan Gurdon: Reading Madeleine L'Engle as a child and as an adult.
- Lucette Lagnado: On Yom Kippur, mourning the loved ones we knew and those we didn't.
