Cursor's Media Patrol - July 14, 2005

The Wall Street Journal reports on its new poll that shows President Bush's credibility slipping, with a plurality rating him "negatively on 'being honest and straightforward' for the first time in his presidency."

With Bush declaring that "our pro-growth policies are working," and the White House budget director proclaiming that the federal deficit "is falling, and it's falling fast," the U.S. Comptroller General is quoted as saying: "Don't be deceived. We face large and growing structural deficits ... that are getting worse every day."

Calling it 'an insult to the dead to deny the link with Iraq,' a Guardian commentary argues that despite the claim that "the London attacks had nothing to do with Iraq," advanced by supporters of the Blair government, "the only surprise was that the attacks were so long coming."

"[T]he comments made on Fox News are beneath contempt," said the head of BBC television news, referring to Steven Emerson saying that "the BBC almost operates as a foreign registered agent of Hezbollah and some of the other jihadist groups," and Bill O'Reilly's commentary on "How Jane Fonda and the BBC put you in danger."

I'll Be Backed The Los Angeles Times reports that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who vetoed a bill regulating dietary supplements, is being paid $8 million to "further the business objectives" of fitness magazines heavily dependent on ad revenue from the nutritional additives.