(1) Here’s how easy it is to be a media critic. Collect a stack of the Sun-Times from the past couple of weeks. Locate pencil, paper, and a ruler. Measure, add up, and write down the total number of column inches devoted to The Way Forward, the pivotal new report from the Iraq Study Group. Do the same with the debate on whether Rex Grossman should continue to start at quarterback for the Bears. Compare. Then write a snappy conclusion.
Did I say the Sun-Times? I meant the Tribune too, of course.
(2) “Today, you will see and hear how serious we are about winning in the 21st century.. . . We all have to change. We all have to sacrifice. But I believe this is the path to winning.. . . We take these difficult steps with a sense of compassion and gratitude for those who have served us with all their hearts.”
That’s Bill Ford, chairman of the Ford Motor Company, putting his chips on the table a year ago on The Way Forward, the company’s strategic plan for pulling out of a disastrous tailspin. A year minus a day after it was submitted to Ford directors, James Baker and Lee Hamilton’s version was submitted to the American people. I guess there are only so many ways of saying “I hope we’ve found the light switch.” Good luck to Ford. Good luck to America.