To: Neocon who wrote (1339 ) 11/10/1999 10:28:00 AM From: Zoltan! Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 3246
"Time" chooses FDR - but note their criteria are not limited to the beneficial:UPDATE: TIME MAGAZINE PREPARING TO NAME FDR 'PERSON OF CENTURY' It will not be made official for another seven weeks, but the DRUDGE REPORT has learned that TIME magazine and its editors are still planning to name America's 32nd President Franklin Delano Roosevelt: "PERSON OF THE CENTURY"! As first reported in this space in June, TIME's Managing Editor Walter Isaacson has made the call and has been daydreaming outloud on what is expected to be TIME magazine's biggest selling issue ever. The naming of FDR will be held secret until late December. TIME INC's editor-in-chief Norm Pearlstein has given Isaacson major editorial control over the blockbuster issue. But in recent weeks, an emotional debate has erupted inside of the magazine's 6th Avenue offices over the pick. "FDR is still the clear frontrunner," a top TIME source revealed in an instant message on AMERICA ONLINE over the weekend. "But the decision has not been an easy one, and it will not be without controversy." Winston Churchill is the top man for several senior TIME executives. One deputy argued that FDR is not a "sexy pick" -- and the choice could hurt sales of the blockbuster issue. "The decision making process has been maddening for Walter," says a magazine source. There are plans drawn up for a network news special, expected to air on either CBS or CNN, for TIME's big issue. There are two main things that convinced Isaacson to pick FDR, say sources. One is that FDR was the giant who created big government -- in a time of big need. An idealistic liberal who created the WPA and gave intellectuals money, the creator of the modern welfare state. Isaacson will say that for the first time since 1789, FDR changed what Americans thought about government -- "what we owe it." TIME will devote up to 100 pages on "Person of the Century", and the runner-ups. Production on the century end issue has begun, and every expense is being made to ensure the secrecy of its content. drudgereport.com