With apologies to Darrel Huff and his famous book of the same title, today's papers provide a wonderful demonstration of how the mainstream press - in this case, The New York Times, can use real statistics to justify politically spun conclusions.In this case, it is the hysterical article, complete with bar graphs emblazoning the front page of today's Business Section. Reporters Robert Pear and David M. Herszenhorn set out to convince Times readers that the Bush administration has been the most profligate spending machine in almost all of history, plunging the US economy into heretofore depths of deficit spending. The implication, of course, is that the Bush fiscal policies are responsible for current and future economic woes almost too terrible to contemplate.The writers have even managed to find derogatory quotations from presumptive Republican president candidate John McCain to bolster their contentions:Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican presidential...(Read Full Post)