I SOLEMNLY SWEAR I AM UP TO NO GOOD - EMAIL: CHRISTAYLOR2003@COMCAST.NET

Tuesday, July 06, 2004

Jack, Off?

Is CNN's Jack Cafferty a conservative stooge or merely a preening ignoramus?

My bet is a little bit of both. Watch Cafferty here as he studiously recites the latest Republican talking points, word for word. And as a bonus, rejoice as "Milhouse" Hemmer agrees with the entire thing.

CAFFERTY: The economy's picking up a little bit. The war in Iraq has quieted some since they handed over sovereignty to the Iraqi government a few days ago. If things improve in Iraq and the economy continues to recover, Kerry's got an uphill struggle. If either of those things goes the other way, the undecided voters may have reason to make up their mind.

HEMMER: So true.


The families of the seven marines killed in Iraq over the past 48 hours will be happy to hear that things have quieted down. 17 soldiers have now died in the nine days since sovereignty was transferred to the Iraqi government; in the nine days prior to the transfer, 17 soldiers were also killed.

As for the economy, this is from a source Mr. Cafferty may be familiar with - his employer.

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Growth in the U.S. services sector slowed dramatically in June, the nation's purchasing managers reported Tuesday, coming in below the previous month's reading and well shy of economists' forecasts.

The Institute for Supply Management said its services index fell to 59.9 in June, down from May's reading of 65.2, and below Wall Street's expectations for a reading of 63.0, according to Briefing.com.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the sector, while a reading below signals contraction.

The ISM report is the latest indicator to point to a cooling U.S. economy.

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