Newsweek Tries to Be Clever, Fails

Newsweek attempted to be clever in a cover story on Sarah Palin (no link to their drivel). Alas, they failed.

From David Kopel:

The cover of next week’s Newsweek features a picture of Sarah Palin, along with the headline “How do you solve a problem like Sarah?” The cover is one more example of the periodical’s positioning itself as the ideas journal for people who think that the New York Times’ in-house editorials are middle-of-road, but have too many big words. And of the magazine’s cultural disconnect from much of the United States.

To wit: “How do you solve a problem like Maria?” is an early song in The Sound of Music, which won the 1965 Academy Award for Best Picture.

[...]

[T]he question “How do you solve a problem like Sarah?’ provides its own answer, at least to people who know the film from which the song comes: Make her the President of the United States.

I’m not arguing for or against Palin for President–just observing that, as is so often the case, the Palin-hating media are less clever than they think, and end up inadvertently making her stronger.

From AoSHQ (strong language warning):

Dear Newsweek,

Maria was the hero of that musical. And she proved the s****** who called her a "problem" way, way wrong.

From Allahpundit at Hot Air:

[W]hat is there to say? The mainstream leftist take on Palin should be familiar to the point of utter banality by now... Andy Levy calls the two articles some of the laziest political writing he’s ever read...

If that’s not enough Newsweek for you, enjoy senior editor Michael Hirsh wringing his hands this morning on CBS over Palin’s “disturbing” vindictiveness. This comes on the same day, mind you, that news is breaking about how Anita Dunn’s fantastically petty attack on Fox News did indeed come from the top, likely ordered by a guy who’s been known to act out the fantasy deaths of his political enemies with a steak knife.

And from NewsBusters:

Mike Allen of Politico previewed the cover in the Nov. 14 edition of his "Playbook." In it, he included these comments from Newsweek editor John Meacham who blamed Palin for Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., struggles with his conservative base in South Carolina. One of those struggles for Graham was his acknowledgment that climate change is a manmade phenomenon in need of a so-called "compromise," And that backlash is somehow former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's fault.

I seem to recall another attempt by Newsweek to be clever: Intentionally shrinking its already plummeting readership. Good luck with that, Newsweek.