Mullings An American Cyber Column By Rich Galen

US & Int'l Papers

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Newton's Laws

Monday April 24, 2006

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Isaac Newton's first law of motion is:

Corpus omne perseverare in statu suo quiescendi vel movendi uniformiter in directum, nisi quatenus a viribus impressis cogitur statum illum mutare.

Or, more colloquially:

An object at rest or traveling in uniform motion will remain at rest or traveling in uniform motion unless acted upon by a net force.

Two political objects, Newton Gingrich (no relation) and John McCain, were the objects of journalistic analysis over the past few days. In one case, Gingrich, he is no longer an object at rest; in the other, McCain, he is no longer traveling in a uniform motion.

Changing planes in Atlanta yesterday, I was surprised - shocked, really - to read a column in the Atlanta Journal Constitution by deputy editorial page editor, Jay Bookman about Newt Gingrich titled: "Newt for President? Former Speaker sets the Stage for Possible Run."

This piece was the result of a telephone conversation Newt had with the AJC earlier in the week. It gets uglier as it goes along, but the fact that Bookman had any nice words for Gingrich at all is a major departure from the paper's previous view.

When Newt became Speaker, the coverage in the Atlanta Journal Constitution was not just harsh; it was wicked and cruel.

For Bookman to write:

"Gingrich isn't exactly running for president these days - you might say he's "lurking for president," waiting to see if events and public opinion break in ways that make a Gingrich candidacy plausible."

Is as close to a gold star as Gingrich has ever gotten from the AJC.

It is a huge development for the AJC to allow Newt to be quoted saying:

"My approach is to offer a series of solutions to 21st century problems - you can find them at newt.org - that offer real change and outline what real change would look like � Then it's up to the country. I don't intend to think seriously about it until September or October of 2007."

While that was going on in Atlanta, the Philadelphia Inquirer's Dick Polman was casting a skeptical eye on the campaign of Senator John McCain.

Polman noted the change in McCain's attitudes toward tax cuts (he opposed them, but is now for them) and Rev. Jerry Falwell (McCain once called him an "agent of intolerance" but will be speaking at the Liberty College graduation next month). Polman wrote:

"In the view of many skeptics, the erstwhile straight-talking maverick is now riding the Spin Talk Express."

Mullpal (and Republican National Committeeman) David Norcross pointed out that articles like Polman's might be a Team-McCain move to convince the GOP base that he is not a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Popular Press:

"Repositioning is a deliberate strategy, and the media getting ticked off is a free benefit. It may be a calculated win-win."

Polman got off one of the better lines of the weekend when he wrote: "So, is this the real McCain?"

One of the ways to tell whether the Popular Press truly believes either the US House or Senate is up for grabs in November is by watching the way they cover the mid-term elections. The reason they are writing about McCain and Newt and Hillary as Presidential contenders, is because they have not yet convinced themselves that the Democrats have a real shot at either one.

That could change, if the Democrats get their act together and begin convincing American voters that they actually have a plan; but if the new government in Iraq begins to function it could all go the other way and the GOP could actually increase their majorities.

That would be an example of Newton's (Issac, not Gingrich) Third Law: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."

New Topic:

As of Sunday night, our efforts to help the Marines of Companies A, E, G, and H, Marine Security Guard Battalion reach their goal of raising $30,000 for the Semper Fi Injured Marine Fund is within $4,500 of the goal.

If you haven't yet, please go to the Secret Decoder Ring page and read what these great young men are attempting to do.

On a the Secret Decoder Ring page today: That link to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund plus: Links to the AJC and Philadelphia Inquirer pieces, and a link to NASA's explanation of Newton's Laws. There is a Mullfoto from Austin, Texas and a Catchy Caption of the day.

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