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Even Times Crossword Puzzle Favors Obama

Posted Sep 25, 08 11:04 AM CDT in Politics 

(Newser) – John McCain’s campaign chief looks to have been on to something when he accused the New York Times of being “in the tank” for Barack Obama; why else, David Levinson Wilk asks on Politico, would the paper’s crossword puzzle so thoroughly exclude John McCain? OBAMA has been the answer to three different clues since 2005, while MCCAIN has appeared exactly zero times.

A Times spokeswoman offers up the fact that Obama is a five-letter name with conveniently alternating vowels and consonants. But the bias persists at the vice-presidential level as well, Wilk notes. BIDEN has shown up not just in the Times, but also the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal crosswords. And PALIN? Only if you mean the Monty Python member.
Source: Politico

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Will Shortz, the New York Times crossword mastermind (Getty Images).   (Getty Images)
Since 'Obama' first appeared as an answer in a New York Times crossword in 2005, it's been a regular%u2014while 'McCain' has never graced a puzzle in that paper, the Washington Post or Los Angeles Times.   ((c) bschmove)
The McCain campaign's claim that the New York Times is "totally, 150% in the tank for the Democratic candidate" appears to be borne out by Barack Obama's dominating crossword-puzzle presence.   (AP Photo)
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‘Obama’ is a five-letter name that alternates vowels and consonants. It’s got three vowels out of five letters, starting and ending in vowels. So it is much more crossword-friendly than ‘McCain.' - New York Times spokeswoman
Diane McNulty

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