European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 10, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday january 10, 1995 commentary i the stars and stripes Page 13bull s eyes soften blows of column blunders Davids. Broder there a some Good news and some bad news in the 1994 year end review of follies and felonies which readers of this column have come to know As a Bro Der a annual goofs report a the bad news for the second year in a Row i described an obstructionist tactic on Capitol Hill As a putting spokes in the wheel of Progress. For the second year in a Row Many of you pointed out that the spokes Are in the wheel to hold it to gather and what i meant was a putting a stick in the v my consulting psychiatrist cannot explain this hang up but suspects it is rooted in some childhood bicycling trauma. Rosebud revisited. Now a shot of Good news to steel you for what lies ahead unlike East years when the errors of judgment Egan with the first column of the year a Ana never stopped �?1994 had a decent launch1. There were columns on the budget on entitlements on term liar its on the internal chaos of the Clinton White House and on the foolishness of his waving the veto pen if Congress provided anything less than a Universal coverage in a health Bill All of which stand up pretty Well. -. I took a lot of pokes at these subjects As Well As the false promises of the crime Bill and the Sham that was called Campaign finance Reform. I am not in Clinch to Jake any of that Back. On the other hand i sure wish my fifth Grade history class had stuck in my mind Well enough that i remembered the Mayflower compact was signed by the founders of the plym ouch Colony not the Massachusetts Bay Colony As i 1 wish i had checked More carefully Pri the genealogy of various Washington bureaucracies. In a column about the possible extinction of the interstate Commerce commission something we May actually see in 1995, by the Way said that the internal Revenue service a was born Quot after the inc. Former irs commissioner Sheldon Cohen promptly entered a claim of seniority for his old outfit which he pointed out was created in 1862 As the Bureau of internal Revenue and later renamed the irs. A Rose cute a Tribune a jus. By any other name is just us thorny. There were errors of judgment As Well As of fact i was wrong in april in thinking that George Mitchell could a and probably would a serve out the session As Senate majority Leader and still be confirmed As a supreme court Justice. He turned Down the appointment from president Clinton i went overboard in july in hailing the Choice of Leon Panetta As new White House chief of staff. He has brought More discipline to that disorderly place but the policy Agenda is still diffuse and the political judgments remain questionable. A a i was too harsh in a september column on the administration s Haiti policy a re minder that foreign policy is hazardous territory for a Guy from Chicago Heights who did no to see an Ocean until he was Welt into his teens. I wrote that the president s Quot decision to Send in troops a defied almost every Rule of political prudence and a made his presidency hostage to the Uncertain Fate of a badly divided backward country that no one could have imagined was a vital interest of the United states Quot we still done to know How Haiti will fare in the Long run but no american lives have been lost a legitimate govern mint has been restored and the murder Ous generals Are in exile a a far better picture than i envisaged. The radar fortunately was clearer on Domestic politics Wilh a series of columns going Back to last april depicting the vulnerability of the congressional democrats the heed for a real shake up in the House and a with fewer and fewer qualifiers a the Prospect of a big Republican Victory. But the wonderful thing is that whether a particular column turns out later to a be or dumb it is always challenged by you readers instantly vehemently and often persuasively. I enjoy that dialogue nun than 1 can acknowledge in the perfunctory cards with which-1, try to respond to your letters. A i especially enjoy the Pul Downs and tins year Lucre was a classic. A. Reader in Adinion \n., wrote this. Quot a. A a my Ila Mhz Thek on my mothers t Side with whom i was a oct do. Was very Stern. Tit both his facial expressions and body language and the Ngi cuty of his a thoughts and judgments and Hoy was a he judgmental it seemed to me 1 could never do anything right in ins eyes a Gist win Witler him. You should also know that he never smiled a i flaw coming from him would probably made him explode into Smithereens also he was an observer in Lilc a never a a. A. A a. And then this kicker printed in from his Home computer a you remind Nie of my Grandfather a a. A thanks a lot a Quot Quot a. . A pcs a culpa sweep out the Corners of 94 As a journalist i have Long been a connoisseur of corrections l am drawn to the Little boxes in the Cor Rier of the newspaper to see what errors of omission. And commission were committed by some writer or editor. A a a a a a �-.�. A. A a a v politicians and cos offer Only their most choked regrets a if i May have inadvertently said or done something that you May have misconstrued As something that offended Vou .,.�?�. Corrections Are equally rare in the broadcast world where Many words go into the air and few Are taken to task. Quot but Here in pc okie Gutenberg world of the printed word we tend to hold ourselves accountable. Indeed my favorite correction apology of 1994 came from the Chicago Tribune which omitted the last line of a Mike Royko column a the last line should have said the Tribune regrets the Well Quot Felecya Aach is that i shriek when 1 make a mistake. So each year in to wipe the slate clean i a less up to the errors misstatements and mix ups that have Szuek past my private error Check software and therefore 1 once again offer my Media Cul this being a political Vear three culpa were culled from election coverage. This does t count by the Way the miscalculation that led to my defeat m the Oil ice a Media culpa 1. In a postelection Dae 1 put the right words in the wrong persons Mouth. It was t Ellen Malcolm of Emily a list who said women were reluctant to office a they Sec the process As. it what Lar a riot Woods of the National women a political caucus not All political women Are joined at the head. Earlier in writing about Bob Massie a jr.,. The candidate for. Lieutenant governor of Massachusetts i created a double by line where none existed. I said that the Book Nicholas and Alexandra was co authored by his parents Robert and Suzanne Massie nope. They coauthored another Book. Robert or did this one by himself. The third wrong. I am Happy to right. In october 1 thought that the Massachusetts Senate race was turning into a Beauty contest and that Ted Kennedy was a fading contestant. Of me of Little Faith by november Kennedy turned the voters Heads. A. Now onto sexual politics. 1 also thought 1.1, Paula. Coughlin had been sunk in the Tail Hook sexual a. Ras sment scandal. Well the Navy brass got away with the git Pitcl mini bit but irony of irony. Paula did win a Case the convention hotel not the conventioneers. In civilian hie., i wrote that what am Riva needed. Ellen Goodman in ill is Post Brady Bunch Era was a three Parent family. A Reader of Fulcd tins too note the Bradys i -. Three Parent family of sorts mum dad and Alice the longtime Nanny. I o you suppose they paid her social so Eunav ? a a a a a a _ a a a in i Nih Giny skills this year also let a Quot camera hone in on Quot its subject unless the camera had. A very Sharp Odge i was wrong. A the Caine a Homes in. So do the word police wild Lei of my error. My language problems followed my into translation. While the p re uni were talking about Banning Frang Inis i thought we should in that col a Unin j used the French singular la airbags and la jumbo jets w Hen meant the plural Les airbags and Les jumbo jews. Pardon my French. A a. -. Pardon my Eskimo too in writing about the White stuff repeated Wisdon Thal the eskimos had 2\ word the while stuff. The common Wisdom is wrung. Acl Fri Zuj to a linguistics professor there arc just two Eskimo words for Snow inn in meaning Snow in. The air or Snow ll4ikt-, and up i meaning Snow on the Groin in _ \ a. A on that note i shall now pull on my boots walk Over the a Pul and through the Zanik and into a Brave new Vear Cine last Wool be Tore. I go . For a a a a
