LA Times Muffles Kerry Remarks

The front page headline in today's Los Angeles Times (Wednesday, November 1, 2006) is, "Campaign fireworks fly as polls show Senate in play." Good grief. Like clockwork, the Times has continued its well-established practice of downplaying and/or obfuscating unflattering news for Democrats. As for the headline, "Kerry warns students, insults troops: Don't 'get stuck in Iraq?", you won't find it at the Times.

Apparently, the Times' headline wants readers to believe that these "fireworks" just happened on their own. Even the sub-headlines make no mention of Kerry's actual words from Monday. In fact, the Times baselessly drags the GOP into the mix. "New flap in Virginia race; Bush and Kerry battle like it's 2004." "Missouri could be the key." (bold added)

"Bush and Kerry battle like it's 2004"?? Why? Well, the Times suggests that the cause of this "battle" lies equally with Republicans. Starting in the second paragraph,

Tuesday's rapid-fire developments included a sharp collision between familiar antagonists — the Bush White House and Sen. John F. Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat who lost the 2004 presidential election to Bush. And a new controversy erupted in one of the key, and nastiest, Senate campaigns — the reelection bid by Republican George Allen of Virginia.

Kerry and Republicans, led by Bush, exchanged fire long-distance over whether the senator disparaged American troops in Iraq during a Monday rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides at Pasadena City College.

After urging students to make the most of their educational opportunities, Kerry said, "If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

With the exception of printing a rebuke by Sen. John McCain, the Times failed to cite any military members who were offended by Kerry's remarks. (There are plenty. Michelle Malkin, for one, has been all over this (here and here); as has Hugh Hewitt (here); see this military.com blog, too.)

And as far as that "new flap in Virginia," NewsBusters has addressed that here.

It's business as usual at the LA Times. At NewsBusters, we have chronicled a number of episodes in which the Times has downplayed, delayed, and/or ignored unflattering news of Democrats: here, here, here, here, and here.