USA Today's "reality check" falls short.

Democratic Veteran takes a quick look at this USA Today article, noting briefly the irony of the Bush camp trying to paint John Kerry as a hypocrite on Vietnam.

What struck me about the USA Today article, though, is that USA Today has absolutely no idea what the phrase "reality check" means.

The article is about how the Bush team will try to portray Kerry should he become the Democratic nominee. About halfway through the article, we're presented with a series of Bush lines of attack, each followed by a "reality check."

But the "reality checks" don't seem to check any reality. They don't tell us whether the Bush attacks are true or not. They're just more "color" about the topic. Here's an example:

He switches positions when it's politically expedient. Kerry voted against the Persian Gulf War in 1991, but in 2002, he voted for a resolution authorizing Bush to go to war against Iraq. His explanation: In 1991, he believed the first Bush administration should take more time to try diplomacy before military action. In 2002, he believed this Bush administration had agreed to pursue diplomacy first.

Kerry voted for Bush's education bill, the No Child Left Behind Act, but now says he'd repeal it because it doesn't work. He voted for the USA Patriot Act, which expanded government power to monitor citizens after the Sept. 11 attacks, but now opposes it as too intrusive. He opposed the death penalty for terrorists who kill Americans abroad but now supports it.

Reality check: Bush's strategists are planning ads focused on some of those things. Campaign manager Ken Mehlman said in an online chat Feb. 9 that Kerry's opposition to Bush's education bill means he wants to "take our nation backward." Some Democrats aligned with other candidates say privately that Kerry will have to come up with better explanations. [Bold in original]

Now, tell me: why the hell is that last graph labled "reality check"? What does it do to clarify whether the Bush line of attack reflects reality? Nothing. It's not a "reality check," it's just more detail about what the Bush crew is planning.

Here's another one:

He's on the wrong side of issues that matter most to voters. "We question his judgment in consistently voting to cut defense and intelligence funding critical to our national security," Mehlman says.

After the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, Kerry voted to cut spending on intelligence by $1.5 billion over five years. In 1996, he voted to cut defense by $6.5 billion. He has since said that some of those votes were mistakes.

Bush's advisers see vulnerability in Kerry's stand on an emotional and divisive issue: gay marriage. In 1996, Kerry voted against the Defense of Marriage Act, which banned federal recognition of gay marriages and allowed states to refuse to recognize those performed in other states. Kerry opposes gay marriage but supports civil unions and partnership rights.

Reality check: The differences between Bush's priorities and Kerry's are likely to dominate the competition for moderate and independent voters. How this debate plays out will depend on the shape the economy is in, progress in Iraq and whether gay marriage becomes a big campaign issue. [Bold in original]

Again, why is that last graph labled "reality check"?

Weird. Looks like USA Today has been taking lessons from FactCheck.org.

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