corrente

I like Walter Shapiro, but c'mon:

If there was an emblematic moment during Tuesday's debate, it came when Dean, the candidate who is supposedly trying to mellow out, defined the political opposition in near-apocalyptic tones. "You cannot accommodate to the right wing led by people like Tom DéLay. Their values are not the values of the American people." Even though DéLay, the House majority leader, is a scorched-earth Republican partisan, there was the sense that Dean tread [sic] on dangerous turf by hinting that DéLay's values were un-American. With the GOP already running TV ads suggesting that the Democrats are soft on terrorism, now might be the time for a moratorium on challenging any political rival's patriotism.

Really.

"Scorched earth Republican" is American, then? Or what, Walt—may I call you Walt?—are you saying? Great to hear you calling for the Republicans to stop questioning Dems' patriotism. Oh, wait....

NOTE: In general, I like USA Today. It's truly amazing and courageous that a paper which any American businessman staying in a half-decent hotel finds outside his door in the morning and reads while brushing his teeth takes the stands that it does. That said, on this one, Mr. Shapiro, you're wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.