Well, That Certainly Didn’t Take Long

Dowd, Maureen. "Well, That Certainly Didn’t Take Long." New York Times 4 February 2009, New York ed.:A31

Maureen Dowd, originally from Washington D.C., is a fairly moderate op-ed writer for the New York Times, and has been since 1983. In her time there she has made a career out of commenting on the ridiculous apsects of politics and politicians, most notably during the Lewinsky Scandal (for which she won a Pulitzer Prize) and the Iraq War. While the New York Times is more renown for its reputable reporting than its comedy, Dowd's voice of dsibelief mixed in with pop culture references makes her work funny. In this instance, she crticizes President Obama for trying to appoint Daschle and then worming his way out of it. She takes exception to the way the President thought the rules do not apply to him, making it clear she feels the Chief Executive should lead by example. She tries to persuade people to be vigilant in watching the most powerful man in the land; she wants him to be held to the high standard he campaigned on. This piece might be met with skepticism from some New York Times readers, who have been characterized by the right-wing as left-leaning. Many liberal readers will disagree with her, but they will be forced to think about the standard the president should be held to.