As seen below, two of the four current lead-ins on The New York Times website (http://nytimes.com) at 2:12AM ET mention a "mandate" for the president and a third states that the country is "center right". Let's stop and think about this. President Bush was just elected in a tremendously close election.

He had 3 percentage points more votes than Kerry.

He won with 51% of the vote.

I don't know about you, but the support of only half the country and the dissent of the other half doesn't seem like a mandate to me. The words I'd use to characterize a president who only has half of the country's support are tenuous, fragile, delicate, and, perhaps, weak.

Why is the New York Times (and countless other mainstream media outlets) using such strong language for Bush and his political agenda?

President Bush has a weak hold over our country. Let's flex some political muscle and break his grip.


From NYTimes.com:

TOP HEADLINE: Bush and Republicans Celebrate Victory; Mandate Is Seen for the Next Four Years

After Kerry Concedes, Bush Cites 'A Duty to Serve All Americans'
By ADAM NAGOURNEY The victory led the White House to proclaim that President Bush had won a mandate from the American public for a second term.

Electoral Affirmation of Shared Values Provides Bush a Majority
By TODD S. PURDUM It is impossible to read President Bush's re-election as anything other than a confirmation that this is a center-right country.

Tireless Push to Raise Turnout Was Crucial in G.O.P. Victory
By ELISABETH BUMILLER
George W. Bush was re-elected in the first presidential election in modern history with an equal turnout of Democrats and Republicans.