When the speaker of the House accuses the CIA of deliberately lying to her, you'd think most respectable newspapers would put that story on Page One. And you'd be right. Mike Allen notes that the Washington Post, the Washington Times, and USA Today all reported Pelosi's accusation on the front page:
--WashPost lead story, "Accusations Flying In Interrogation Battle: Pelosi Says CIA Misled Congress on Methods" --WashTimes A1, "Pelosi admits waterboard briefing" --USA Today, A1 mug-shot tease: "Pelosi: CIA Misled her on torture" ... --WashPost's Dan Balz, in an analysis also at top of A1: "Pelosi's performance in the Capitol was either a calculated escalation of a long-running feud with the Bush administration or a reckless act by a politician whose word had been called into question. Perhaps it was both."
But for some reason, the New York Times decided to bury the story on Page A-18:
--N.Y. Times, A20 (A18 in Washington Edition), "Pelosi Says She Knew of Waterboarding by Early 2003"
Somehow, the there was room on the front page for a story titled "For Frozen Foods, 'Heat and Eat' Isn't Enough":
It's going to take a lot more crack reporting on
Donkey Ball from the
Times for us to forgive them for this one.