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# Posted 12:05 AM by Ariel David Adesnik

"MILITANTS' BOMB KILLS 2 PALESTINIANS": That was the caption that ran beneath a front-page photo in today's NYT. I read it and said to myself "Oh sh**. Some crazy settler has gone and killed some innocent Palestinians."

But of course, that isn't what happened. As the article on page three explains, a Palestinian bomber detonated his explosive charge before reaching his target site, resulting in the deaths of two Palestinians as well as injuring both Israelis and Palestinians nearby.

The Times also came up with a classic headline in its Campaign 2004 update: "For Now, Bush's Mocking Drowns Out Kerry's Nuanced Explanation of His War Vote". [NB: The full headline is only in the print edition, not online.] Since the article is a "Political Memo", it doesn't have to be as non-partisan as a straight-up news report. But author David Sanger doesn't even seem to recognize that Kerry actually has flip-flopped on the war, rather than simply failing to explain the subtle nuances of his position.

Compare Sanger's reaction to that of Jon Stewart: "Noooo! Noooo! Does this guy want to lose the election? I think he's afraid of success!" [NB: Not an exact quote since I don't have a transcript of tonight's Daily Show.] On a similar note, Kerry backers like Kevin Drum have decided that the best way to defend Kerry is to admit that he's a fence straddler and then point out that Bush has been far from consistent on a number of important issues as well.

I agree with Kevin, except the fact is that Kerry has flip-flopped on Iraq, which I care about a helluva lot more than stem cells or a Patients' Bill of Rights.

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