<SPAN class=630250921-01071999>The Case for a Dumb President</SPAN>
New
Republic , Dec. 20
A
cover story argues that it pays to play dumb in politics.
While Al Gore "has the appearance of a man who prepared for a spelling bee and
found himself in a swimsuit competition," George W. Bush's apparent "boredom
with the details of governance" is a political asset. Voters are seeking "a
president who will make us proud--and do little else." … A cover story traces the similarities between George W.
Bush and John F. Kennedy. Both were privileged, preppy "reluctant dauphins" to
political dynasties, who caroused and earned C's at college. Both relied on
daddy's allies, outspent their opponents, and sought to avenge their fathers'
political defeats. … An article celebrates the Battle in Seattle: Protests
against such minor matters as genetically modified food demonstrate that the
world has conquered more critical problems. (
Slate
's "" explains
how the World Trade Organization became a boogeyman.)
Economist , Dec. 4
The cover editorial applauds the establishment of a
power-sharing parliament in Northern Ireland as providing "a realistic hope for
durable peace." The new North-South council will appease Nationalists, and the
British-Irish council will reassure Unionists. Dispersed government, European
Union membership, affluence, and secularization could defuse ancient
animosities. (For more on Northern Ireland, see ".") … A
piece explains how the "open content movement" will
transform the way we work. Open-source projects--such as the operating system
Linux--rely on online collaboration to improve. An "Open Law" experiment asks
Web surfers to contribute arguments to a high-tech legal brief. … An
article recommends the LifeShirt--a turtleneck with
six built-in medical sensors. LifeShirts measure vital signs and relay the
information to palm-sized computers, which download the data for online
diagnosis.
New York Times Magazine , Dec. 5
The
last of the magazine's special millennium issues chronicles the making of a
Times time capsule. It will preserve until the year 3000 special
acid-free New York Times Magazine issues and other soon-to-be-determined
stuff. A piece describes the contending capsule designs. One entrant proposed
encoding the magazine's contents in cockroach DNA. Another suggested sheathing
the contents in a metal earring for the Statue of Liberty. The winner is a
steel origamilike capsule. … Several articles try to explain our time to
readers of the future. A field guide to deceased species informs
31 st -century readers that global warming killed the Galápagos
Penguin and truffles were "gourmandized to extinction." … An
"Encyclopedia of Lost Practices" explains that smoking was "the most popular
form of recreational suicide ever devised" and "reproductive sex" was "the
union of male and female genitalia resulting (with often stunning rapidity) in
the ejaculation of semen."
Time ,
Dec. 6
A week
after decrying millennium hype, Time celebrates Jesus as the unofficial man of the past two
millenniums. In the weirdest bit, a novelist recreates the Gospels' most
dramatic moments and recounts his own meeting with the son of God: He was
suddenly transported to Galilee, where Jesus cured his cancer and forgave his
sins. … An article examines the glamorization of mathematics. Good
Will Hunting and best-selling biographies of celebrated mathematicians have
made math sexy. This season there are two books about zero, and Fendi is
peddling a fragrance called Theorema.
Newsweek ,
Dec. 6
The
Mars cover package says that if the probes landing this week find
frozen surface water, it could indicate that liquid water remains in the
planet's warmer interior and that life could exist there. A sidebar notes that controversy remains over the Mars meteorite
that crashed into Antarctica about 11,000 years ago: While scientists have
demolished most of the evidence that the meteorite contained living creatures,
they cannot explain why the meteorite contains a molecule that on Earth is only
produced by biological processes. … An excerpt of a new Al Gore biography points out that by enlisting
in the military, Gore all but ensured he would avoid Vietnam combat, but it
rejects the claim that Gore received special treatment or protection. …
A piece describes the horrific trade in Mexican boxers. Poor Mexican street
fighters are brought to the United States by unscrupulous promoters to serve as
patsies for American boxers. Several have been severely injured in mismatched
bouts.
U.S. News
& World Report , Dec. 6
The
cover package reviews the century's top 10 crimes, including
the St. Valentine's Day Massacre of seven mobsters by Al
Capone's henchman; the brutal 1955 murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till , which galvanized support for the civil rights
movement; and the Manson family rampage , which ended the social experimentation
of the '60s on a sour note. Among others: the Rosenbergs, Son of Sam, and O.J.
Simpson. … A piece claims George W. Bush and Al Gore are "spiritual
twins." Bush prays with Methodist ministers via cell phone. Gore is a
born-again Baptist who regularly invokes biblical verse on the stump. Bill
Bradley does not talk about his religous faith on the campaign trail.
The New
Yorker , Dec. 6
An
issue devoted to the digital age. An article argues that digital encryption has
neutered the National Security Agency by making it virtually impossible for the
agency to decode enemy transmissions. The NSA is also hobbled by budget cuts,
brain drain, and shortsighted management. … A piece applauds the
overlooked innovations that make e-commerce possible. Shopping online would be
impractical without bar-coding, warehouse automation, and express delivery.
Weekly
Standard , Dec. 6
A
piece argues that there is no evidence of a Republican smear campaign against
Sen. John McCain. He has been winning sympathy and good press because of
allegations that George W. Bush's allies are whispering that he's unstable, but
even McCain's supporters can't produce any actual evidence of smears. …
A review trashes George W. Bush's ghostwritten
autobiography as perhaps the worst campaign book ever. A Charge to Keep
is banal, disorganized, and packed with platitudes, revealing Bush as both
boring and filled with "overweening Baby Boomer self-regard." (Read
Slate
's similarly vicious review .)
