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In 2004, during the maelstrom of Swiftboatism, I worked for Kerry's cause as a rapid response writer. Actually, I mostly researched and allowed a group of dedicated Texans to do the writing. They adopted me as their East Wing. Living in the EDT zone, I picked out the main headlines from online media, so others could deal with them before leaving for day jobs. I turned to the Sentinel to get a feel for how things were playing in the "South." Tennesseans were considered by the campaign handlers to be too red to "swing." Yet, might there be segments of contrary opinion?About a decade ago, I met Don Williams at a little writers' group. He was in the process of starting New Millennium Writings. We talked about authors pertinent to his interests. I liked him when he said Ken Kesey was a good writer, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was his best work. He was high on The Right Stuff, which made me ready to meet Tom Wolfe. At the time, I figured he would just try his hand at the magazine and then move on. NMW is not just another little mag, In my mind, that defines Don's greater capabilities. I turned to his columns in 2004 during the campaign fluster. What I found was someone who could make a point. In our area of Tennessee, we don't even have a determined Democrat to run against a Representative for the 2nd District. The GOP had/has the Senate wrapped up. I determined that Williams wrote with partisanship but without rancor. Since my goal was to see the temper of his paper, I read editorials. I read and sometimes wrote letters to the editor. The Sentinel ranked well with the Tennessean in my judgment.
Of course when 06 came, things were different. Now there were 50 states purportedly in play for Democrats. We had a Senator to elect. The column where Williams described going into a booth to vote for a black man was so well written. The one which puts a song in my ears was about Kris Kristofferson's Help Me Make it Through the Night. I really got a kick out of comparison between you-know-who and Captain Ahab with "My name is Ismael."
And, of course 07 is very different. Now the GOP is on the defensive in international circles, in Congress, even in some Washington Post stories dealing with cockroaches and veterans, and absolutely with the courthouse where Scooter Libby had his long day. When I couldn't fine the column in the Sentinel, I stopped to read an editorial called "Area Projects Boosted in Bush Budget Proposal." It touts the good things the administration is bringing to our area. I'm not impressed. The president tells me it's my money Washington collected. I like my papers to tell me how it is being spent. And, if they could, please explain why they call troop escalation a "surge." Does it mean we are over pre-emptive strikes and into fighting a regular war between surges and insurgents?
