Mr. Anderson

At things fall apart, we tend to be pretty hard on CNN. So, in the interest of fairness, it should be noted that Anderson Cooper displayed something resembling real journalism on today's American Morning. Soledad O'Brien should take notes.

COOPER: Well, I've heard you say this before and you criticized them as being not ideologically balanced. I mean are President Bush and Vice President Cheney ideologically balanced?

DOLE: Well, I thought that perhaps John Kerry, in trying to win, would provide some balance, because he is known as a very liberal Massachusetts senator. He's voted 350 times during his Senate career to raise taxes. He's also...

COOPER: Well, actually, let me stop you there. I mean he takes issue with that, I mean, as you well know, that 350 times includes procedural votes. It also includes times that he simply voted not to lower taxes based on some Republican idea. So that 350 figure is sort of a little questionable.

DOLE: Well, I think the record is very clear, though, where he stands in terms of raising taxes and also promising already in the campaign $658 billion in taxes. It's a different philosophy. President Bush and Vice President Cheney have, through the Jobs and Growth Plan, with tax relief, this has enabled our economy to really move forward.

COOPER: But you wouldn't say that they are ideologically balanced, would you?

DOLE: Well, I'm not saying that a ticket has to be ideologically balanced. I was just saying that I expected that Kerry might try to do something like that...

COOPER: Right.

DOLE: ... because he is so very liberal.

COOPER: I see.