USA Today lies about yesterday

USA Today’s print edition headline proclaims, “Democrats focus on future.” But during the two plus hours of the convention I watched last night, including all three major speeches, there was precious little said about the future. Gore focused on 2000. Carter focused on the period immediately following 9/11. Clinton covered his years in office, the post 9/11 “fall from grace,” and the timeless philosophical differences between the two parties. All I know about what the Democrats have in store for the future is (1) they will end the (non-existent) “ban” on stem cell research and (2) they will consult more closely with our allies (no discussion, though, of the real issue, which is whether the allies will be able to veto our foreign policy decisions).
USA Today goes on to claim that the Democrats stayed on message by declining to sharply criticize President Bush. Really? Gore’s theme was that Bush stole the 2000 election. Carter contended that Bush shirked military duty, destroyed our standing in the world, and spread panic in the streets here at home. According to Clinton, Bush’s presidency mounts to an attempt to favor the richest 1 percent of the country (most of whom don’t even want to be favored) at the expense of everyone else.
I have no problem with the Democrats attacking Bush. In fact, I believe they have a duty to attack him, and I find it curious that they think voters will be turned off by such attacks (they weren’t went Clinton and Gore went after the first President Bush hammer and tong at the 1992 convention). But it is cowardly and dishonest for the Dems to attack Bush while they and their media enablers pretend no attack is taking place. Another example of the cheating heart of the Democratic party.
HINDROCKET adds: Drudge is reporting that ratings for the first night of the Democratic convention were at record lows, down signficantly from four years ago. My first instinct was to think this was good. On the other hand, it means that the vast majority of voters will not see the Democrats’ convention for themselves, but will only be aware of it as it is reported by the generally-mendacious print media. Thus, millions of people will believe that the Dems took the high road last night.