The media maketh and the media taketh away. So say the political pros running the recently revamped Dean campaign.

As Democratic candidates head into another busy day of nomination politics, the self-proclaimed Deaniacs are up in arms over the hatchet job that they say has been performed on their candidate by Big Media.

Maybe they make a good point about the drama over former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean’s Iowa speech. A lot was made over essentially nothing. But Dean’s intense speech and “barbaric yawp” played into a lot of the questions Democrats have asked about the candidate. Is he too angry? Is he out of the mainstream?

If candidates can’t survive the trial by fire of the primaries, they don’t stand a chance in the general election. It’s called a trial by fire because the heat gets turned on, then turned up as a candidate becomes more successful. It’s part of the process to narrow the field.

But this race is far from over. Sen. John Kerry was all but written off, pronounced dead on his feet. Now, he’s the front-runner, but instead of the cozy confines of New Hampshire, the campaign heads South and West.

Democrats in Arizona, Delaware, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Carolina will let their preferences be known Tuesday.

There’s still time for Dean to recover, for Kerry to stumble or for a new golden boy – John Edwards or anyone – to rise to the front. And you shouldn’t count out retired Gen. Wesley Clark. The man was shot four times, and he’s still around.


Honor roll


Nashville has caused a stir – and it’s got nothing to do with country music.

Schools in the city have dropped the honor roll because not making the list might be a source of embarrassment for some students.

The effects have trickled across Tennessee. Some schools have stopped displaying good work done by students, and others are considering doing away with such activities as spelling bees.

We hope this all stops at the borders of the Volunteer State.

Schools should be able to recognize the good work of students. The honor roll is a small tip of the cap to kids who work hard and take school seriously. We shouldn’t undermine that positive message.


Oil for thought


Exxon Mobil Corp.’s fourth-quarter earnings jumped 63 percent as it benefited from higher prices for crude oil and natural gas, the Associated Press reported last week. Exxon Mobil, the world’s largest publicly traded oil company, said Thursday it earned $6.65 billion in the October-December period, compared to $4.09 billion a year earlier. In the previous three quarters, Exxon Mobil generated about $18 billion in profits.

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of oil in the Prince William Sound of Alaska. The company is still fighting a damage award from that case. On Thursday, a federal judge order Exxon Mobil to pay $6.75 billion in punitive damages to the 32,000 people directly hurt by the spill. Exxon Mobil says it will appeal the ruling – for the third time.

It’s time for Exxon to settle its debts and pay up. Fifteen years is long enough to avoid justice.


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