Entries for March 12, 2007

In response to an op-ed in Sunday's Washington Post that questioned the methodology of the U.S. News college ranking system, the magazine has released this statement:

"In a March 11 op-ed in the Washington Post, the president of Sarah Lawrence College, Michele Tolela Myers, expressed concern about how the college's decision to eliminate SAT scores from its application process would affect the college's ranking in upcoming editions of America's Best Colleges, published annually by U.S.News & World Report. The op-ed stated that U.S. News had decided on an approach to this situation, when in reality, we have not yet done so.

"Sarah Lawrence's decision is unique, and the magazine's handling of it is still under consideration. Some colleges have made SAT or ACT scores optional in the admissions process, but to our knowledge, no other major college has decided to disregard them completely.

"Our rankings are painstakingly tabulated, using the best data available. U.S. News data researchers regularly participate in briefings and conferences where the most complicated nuances of the process are discussed with the ranked institutions. We regularly adjust to changes in the educational environment, and we plan to address this circumstance in a similar manner."

A new report has found that, ten years after Congress passed a law requiring federal agencies to make their public data available on the Internet, most have failed to do so sufficiently. (Note: "File Not Found" is the name of the report, not an error message. It confused us too.)

The thinking behind the original law, the report states, was in part to save fees on Freedom of Information Act requests.

Etc.: Finding Out What Uncle Sam Has On You, on USNews.com

In response to Friday's post on whether Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama had the upper hand last week, Jon from Washington State wrote us with this question:

Has anyone figured out that Obama and Clinton aren't neccessarily enemies like the uninformed press is trying to portray? Clinton will need a vice presidential pick and wouldn't it be nice if her pick had substantial numbers in the polls?

Alright, maybe it's not exactly a question, but Jon's comment raises an interesting point: Can primary rivalries rend a party apart? And do vice presidential picks matter anyway? We caught up with political reporter Dan Gilgoff for some answers.

"With the beginning of the general election season more than a year off, the press is focused squarely on the primaries," Dan says. "That means fixating on which candidates in each party will outflank their opponents to win the presidential nomination--not on who will make nice with each other and extend vice presidential invitations after the primaries are said and done. Still, there's nothing to stop a victorious Senator Clinton from picking Senator Obama as a running mate--or Obama from picking Clinton. In recent presidential contests, VP running mates haven't made much difference in election outcomes. John Kerry, for instance, lost North Carolina in 2004 by about the same margin as Al Gore did in 2000, even though Kerry running mate John Edwards had served as U.S. senator there. But a Hillary-Obama ticket would be different. Both are celebrities in ways that Edwards--or Dick Cheney--never were during their election fights. The GOP probably has good reason to be concerned about such a ticket."

Etc.: Clinton-Obama Ticket Stirs Fears in GOP, on USNews.com

This item comes to us from White House Correspondent Kenneth T. Walsh:

Some Democratic strategists are buzzing about Hillary Clinton's latest zinger, seemingly thrown at Barack Obama.

It happened over the weekend as Clinton was campaigning in Nashua, N.H. At the state party's annual fundraiser, she compared herself to John F. Kennedy and his effort to overcome perceptions that a Catholic could never win the presidency in 1960.

"A lot of people back then said, you know, America will never elect a Catholic as a president, but those who gathered here a half century ago knew better," she said. "And today, some people tell me ...'I don't think a woman can be elected president.' I say we'll never know unless we try."

While to the untrained ear this might sound like innocent political speak, some Democratic strategists consider this an effort by Clinton to elbow her way into a theme that Obama has promoted across the country -- that he is the true heir of Jack Kennedy as he attempts to be elected the first African American president and overcome perceptions that a Black candidate cannot be elected in 2008.

"The Hillary folks seem to be more worried about Obama at this point than we thought," said a senior Democratic Strategist.

Video: Clinton in New Hampshire (YouTube)

Plus, any coverage of a comparison to Kennedy is obligated to reference an earlier attempt at doing so during the 1988 vice presidential debate that made instant history. Once again, YouTube has the video.

Lloyd Benson and Dan Quayle, 1988

As promised, here's fresh video from Iraq, where U.S. News reporter Alex Kingsbury accompanied soldiers on a manhunt south of Baghdad. Here's an excerpt from Kingsbury's article in this week's magazine:

"But uncertainty, it seems, is the one thing these soldiers can count on," Kingsbury writes. "... A few minutes later, a call comes through that strikes dread in everyone: A Stryker up ahead has been hit by an improvised explosive device. Soldiers curse, then go silent. Their eyes turn with nervous anticipation to the radio as if it's a television, and after a moment, the news is reassuring. 'IED detonated, no casualties,' says Capt. Stephen Phillips, the commander of Charlie Company. 'Repeat, no casualties.' "

More video from Iraq:

The trouble fate of a monument in Baghdad.

A school goes up.

Etc.: A Soldier's Death on a Stunning Day in Iraq, on USNews.com

Today, Chuck Hagel summoned the press to Nebraska for an important announcement about his presidential ambitions. The verdict: He'll decide later. Video of his non-announcement here.

Etc.: The GOP Insurgency, on USNews.com

Democrats:

• Hillary Clinton speaks with Democratic lawmakers in Des Moines before flying to New York City for an address at the 25th anniversary dinner of the Gay Men's Health Crisis.
• Chris Dodd appears on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
• John Edwards is raising money at a luncheon in Columbia, S.C.

Republicans

• John McCain makes three fundraising stops in California.
• Mitt Romney holds a fundraiser at the Four Seasons in Las Vegas.

Elsewhere, Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel is expected to announce whether he plans to run for president today.

Etc.: Political Bulletin: Clinton, Giuliani Lead Yet Another Poll, on USNews.com