Hillary to New York: Drop Everything
Both USA
Today and the Washington Post lead with Hillary Clinton's announcement
yesterday that she will definitely run for the U.S. Senate in New York against
likely opponent Rudy Giuliani. Somewhat surprisingly, the New York Times , although fronting
the announcement, does not lead with it, opting instead for President Clinton's
visit to Kosovo, which included get-togethers with Kosovar Albanians (he urged
them to forgive the Serbs) and with American peacekeeping soldiers (he reminded
them that the U.S. military is an excellent example of how different ethnic
groups can get along). The tops of both Times feature pictures of
Clinton among the troops. The WP runs one a bit lower. The NYT
and Post versions look like a campaign meet-and-greet, but the Los Angeles
Times shot evokes the more intimate feeling of a leader with his
troops: It's good to be the commander in chief. The LAT can only find a
below-the-fold reefer for Hillary and goes with a story nobody else
fronts--Tuesday's U.N. report on the worldwide AIDS situation. Among the grim
numbers, says the paper: By the end of the year, the cumulative toll from the
disease will be 16.3 million deaths and 50 million HIV infections. More than 70
percent of all HIV cases live in sub-Saharan Africa, which contains but 10
percent of the world's population. But, the paper continues, the region where
the disease is growing the fastest is the former Soviet Union, largely due to
the rise there of intravenous drug use.
According to the coverage, Hillary Clinton's announcement came at a New York City meeting of a teacher's
union. The WP says it had the feel of an orchestrated performance, while
the NYT goes even further, saying that union sources said it was
"scripted." Clinton said that she would move into her new Westchester County
house as soon as the Secret Service said she could and that after the first of
the year, she would scale back her activities as first lady. The NYT
observes this will mark the first time in 80 years that a president has lived
in Washington sans first lady. But USAT is alone in commenting up high
on an even more remarkable fact: For the first time ever, a president's wife is
running for office.
The main coverage takes a what-elephant-in-the-parlor? approach to the
domestic implications of the first lady's announcement. Although it is reported
that she said yesterday she had not told her husband or daughter of her
decision, nobody notes how this contrasts with the nearly universal tradition
of a candidate announcing with spouse and offspring in tow. And there is no
speculation in the leads about whether the coming physical distance between the
two Clintons represents a psychical one as well. (An NYT inside story, does briefly indulge, however.) This silence, which
might even be mistaken for good taste, can't possibly last.
The LAT is alone in fronting the filing yesterday of class-action
lawsuits against five of the nation's largest HMOs. The suits, the paper
reports, were filed by one of the leading attorneys in the cases against the
tobacco companies that led to that industry's lavish financial settlement with
many states. The plaintiffs claim that the health plans have violated their
obligations to members, and even allege that they've engaged in
racketeering.
The WP and Wall Street Journal report that a JAMA study
published Tuesday suggests that despite widespread fears among women to the
contrary, the frequency of sexual activity and the pleasure derived from it
remain the same or even increase after having a hysterectomy.
A front page WSJ feature looks past such arcana as pricing structures
and inventory management to find a simpler reason why discount retailers
consistently outperform traditional department stores: The former, but not the
latter, provide customers with shopping carts. Very simply, carts--no, duh!--enable shoppers to
buy more stuff.
The WP 's "Reliable Source" has great fun reporting that yesterday
former Washington D.C. mayor Marion Barry was on jury duty in that city. But
the column never stops to wonder how an ex-convict like Barry could serve on a
jury. Indeed, although the column points out that the FBI has targeted Barry in
the past, it never mentions that he's done time.
