Short Attention Span Theater
Maybe my location makes this more of an issue that it appears to a national audience, and I will admit that the once great Tennessean newspaper in Nashville is now little ore than a Gannett sensationalism special, but perhaps debates have begun too soon. It is easy to see that the general public does not have too much interest in the campaigns so far. Debates garner some attention, but campaigns still find it difficult to compete with LaBron James or even the Spelling Bee. With such short attention spans comes the seemingly endless fascination with the "next best thing."
Today's Tennessean tries to encourage a Fred Thompson v. Al Gore race.
Fred Thompson and, to a lesser extent Al Gore, are poised to surge into the race and quickly wedge themselves into the top tier of contenders for 2008.Their combined buzz is resonating through the nation like a brood of 17-year cicadas -- the ones that will come out across the heartland next year, the year that Americans decide who will replace George W. Bush in the White House.
Is this lead paragraph accurate? Does it reflect any genuine reporting, or does it simply attempt to capitalize on the search for something else?
