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LONG BEACH (coup2k.com) June 8, 2001 - The Diva's Consort, Chuck, translates the letter from David Von Drehle, Washington Post reporter, and co-author of "Deadlock: The Inside Story of America's Closest Election" (sic), who wrote in to defend the title of his book, after reading DIVA DOES DEDUCTION.
From: <Diva's Von Consort> NOT vondrehled@washpost.com
To: <thediva@coup2k.com>
Sent: Friday, June 08, 2001 2:38 PM
Subject: Greetings
I stumbled across your site and saw how angry you'd gotten about the title of our book, "Deadlock: The Inside Story of America's Closest Election."
Perhaps you misunderstood my title.
By "closest election" I meant closest in time. Those other elections you mentioned on your site happened a long time ago.
I work for the media, why would I wait for the vote counting? Where's the story there? The book's contract was signed two days after the election, so who had time to fact-check, let alone look up complicated numbers?
You probably take issue with my chapter, "George W. Bush Is Our Smartest President Ever," simply because some fringe people might present convincing evidence that he is actually our dumbest. That does not, however, change the undeniable fact that he IS in the list of top 100 smartest presidents we have ever had.
The presidential election also came in the context of one of the closest Congressional elections in history. Oh wait... that wasn't the closest either. Never mind.
Getting angry at me for misusing the word "closest" is like getting mad at me for using the word "election" rather than "selection."
Uhhh... Forget I said that, too. Scratch that.
And if you are really going to nitpick, you might argue that occasionally getting a cookie for repeating Republican lies does not constitute an "inside story..."
Hmmm... You might have a point there, but at least I never claimed I invented the internet.
Don't take everything so literally. You are probably one of those people who says "Make No Law" actually means "make no law." Well, let me tell you something: That kind of truth-telling does not sell books, all it does is upset people.
Seriously, which sounds better? "Every vote counts," or "Sometimes votes count"?
See?
As a journalist my life and work revolve around words and their meaning. However, sometimes one must bend definitions to fit the story (and occasionally corporate sponsorship).
This is the one thing I have learned in my years working for The Washington Post, one of the most goodest papers in America.
Best wishes,
David Von Drehle
Smartest and Most Handsome American Journalist
PS: Now comes the part where I get the cookie! Yay!
ACTION ALERT: WRITE VON DREHLE, THE POST
Tell Them The 2000 General Presidential Election Wasn't America's Closest Presidential Election
SNAIL MAIL:
The Washington Post
"America's Most Honest Newspaper"
1150 15th Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20071
PHONE:
(202) 334-6000
E-MAIL
vondrehled@washpost.com
letters@washpost.com
CC THE MEDIA: http://www.coup2k.com/media.html
BATCH MAIL THE MEDIA: http://www.mailblasterdot.com
NEXT: COMMAND PERFORMANCE: SPEECH!
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