NOT WITH A BANG BUT A BERLINER:

Disorganization And Doughnuts
(JOHN TIERNEY, 12/14/03, NY Times)

Democrats have always been known for chaotic conventions, but this year they are outdoing themselves. Officials in the host city, Boston, have been feuding with national party officials over who makes which decisions and who comes up with what money.

The resulting disorganization and lack of money became embarrassingly clear this month when the Democrats held what was billed as a "walk-through" of the convention facilities. Some 200 television, radio and print journalists journeyed to the Fleet Center hoping to plan their convention coverage.

Instead, they were treated to glazed and jelly doughnuts, speeches about the virtues of grass-roots Democrats and the evils of Republicans, and an amateur ice show. And that was about it.

Party officials offered the audience basic diagrams of the inside of the arena. But rather than a walk-through, officials provided a talk-through of the possible press facilities, since Democrats still were not sure whether it would be in an office building a block or two away, in tents outside the hall or, most glorious of all, down in the bowels of the parking garage.