Anti-Sinclair

Unlike the pathetic garbage Sinclair plans to foist on it's viewership, PBS is airing a very good Frontline twice this week, at least for those of us in Louisiana. Last night I caught the initial broadcast (ok, I was flipping back and forth between it and the baseball game). Tomorrow will be the reairing, and if you still can't watch it, you'll be able to catch it online after the 15th.

I'm surprised the Democratic Party hasn't used more footage of Kerry in the Senate speaking about Bush's war resolution back in 2002. I saw one clip lasting about 30 seconds that would be devastating--Kerry warns that Bush failed to build a coalition, he failed to produce a postwar plan, and while he had no doubt that the US Military could oust Hussein, Bush had nothing beyond that. Which, of course, is pretty much exactly what happened.

Of course, tonight's also the final round of Debate Spin 2004, featuring an hour and a half of the candidates themselves, followed by a frantic half-hour of spinning. James Wolcott has a few things to say about it, and I'll be watching along with most everyone else. It could get interesting. Right now, Bush has dug himself such a hole that I expect to see a number of otherwise "liberal" pundits give him sympathy points--"well, he used all his time tonight, so therefore...blah, blah, blah."

Let's see--some predictions should be easy: Bush will blame Clinton for the anemic economic performance of his administration. He will allege that John Kerry will raise taxes. He will dodge questions regarding job losses by referencing the "stock market crash" of 2000, 9/11, and the "war" on terror. He will insist things are looking up (hey, just like in Iraq). He'll holler about Kerry's attempt to revive "big government" without mentioning that Bush's proposals actually cost $1 trillion dollars MORE.

Paul Krugman has a list of eight lies or distortions you'll likely hear in tonight's debate. Once again, Krugman delivers. Then tomorrow night, try to catch the Frontline show.