Media Nation

Count yourself lucky this morning if you’re not a TimesSelect customer — you don’t have to read Ted Koppel’s column on Iran and ask yourself, What was that all about?

Koppel is a great interviewer, but his overall skill set may be more limited than anyone had realized. Because, in a rambling piece in which he cites Vito Corleone as his authority (it’s got something to do with not seeking vengeance for Sonny’s death so that he can protect Michael), Koppel argues for (a) letting Iran develop nuclear weapons while (b) subsequently holding Iran responsible for any nuclear-tinged terrorism anywhere. Koppel writes:

But this should also be made clear to Tehran: If a dirty bomb explodes in Milwaukee, or some other nuclear device detonates in Baltimore or Wichita, if Israel or Egypt or Saudi Arabia should fall victim to a nuclear “accident,” Iran should understand that the United States government will not search around for the perpetrator. The return address will be predetermined, and it will be somewhere in Iran.

Now, it seems self-evident that Koppel is wrong about (a). It could be that we can’t stop Iran from developing nukes without paying an unacceptable price — but it would be incredibly irresponsible not to try.

But (b)? You’ve got to be kidding. Koppel is quite plainly saying that we should invade Iran in retaliation for a nuclear incident somewhere in the world regardless of the evidence. Thus does he manage to get it wrong on both prevention and punishment. Quite a feat.

If Roger Clemens was/is using steroids, he’s got to be one of the few professional athletes who hasn’t paid a price — no exploding tendons, no deteriorating joints, no weirdly unexplainable injuries. Which leads me to believe he’s clean.

And say a word of thanks for Pedro Martínez’s time in a Red Sox uniform. When he was healthy, he was the best pitcher in Sox history. But unless he can come back from rotator-cuff surgery, it looks like he’s through.

Emulating its corporate big brother, the Boston Globe has unveiled a new online look, listing every story in the paper on its home page. More prominence is given to an image of the front page as well.

It’s clean and attractive. So what’s to complain about? This: virtually no photos. The Globe has never given photographs the same prominence on its Web site that it does in the paper, with the exception of special projects like this. The Globe’s alter ego, Boston.com, is loaded with photos. But the pictures have pretty much disappeared from the daily online edition.

One of the pleasures of reading the Times on the Web is the excellence of the photojournalism. The Globe’s got some fine photographers. Can we please see their work online?

More: John Daley likes the new look as well. Strangely, he says nothing about the photo shortage, even though he’s a terrific photographer himself. (Click here and check out the right-hand rail.)

Media Nation’s purpose for being is not to track the career of WRKO talk-show host Scott Allen Miller. But following last week’s dust-up between the two of us (I wrongly accused him of claiming that Boston taxpayers had picked up the bill for refurbishing the Kenmore Square Citgo sign; he wrongly claimed that taxpayers were getting stuck with the electric bill), it’s only fair that I point out his role in a minor but interesting state political story.

If you read today’s Boston Globe, you’ll learn (if you hadn’t already seen it elsewhere) that Deval Patrick has a disconcerting habit of not voting in local elections in Milton, where he lives. Globe reporter Andrea Estes credits the Boston Herald with having broken the story yesterday. Dave Wedge’s Herald story from yesterday notes that Patrick’s voting record had “sparked criticism” from Miller.

In fact, Miller was the first to dig up evidence of Patrick’s lackadaisical attitude toward voting, reporting on his blog that he’d obtained Patrick’s voting records after filing a request under the state’s public-records law (click here and here).

A big deal? No. But not a bad little hit on a candidate who’s built his entire appeal around the notion of re-engagement with civic life.

Update: Citizen Kane notes that Miller is highly selective when it comes to non-voting by gubernatorial candidates. Rosebud.

Here’s a possible solution to balancing the desire (OK, my desire) for a one-on-one debate between Deval Patrick and Kerry Healey with the reality that two other candidates are on the ballot: a series of one-on-ones featuring everybody.

If it were up to me, I’d pair them like this: Grace Ross versus Christy Mihos; Mihos versus Healey; Ross versus Patrick; and then, finally, Patrick versus Healey.

Mihos’ major critique is with the Romney-Healey administration’s management of the Big Dig, so it makes sense that Mihos gets to take Healey on directly. As for Patrick, it would be interesting to see what his progressive supporters would think of his performance if he’s challenged by a genuine lefty.

My preference would be four one-hour debates. But I’d settle for a prime-time, two-hour extravaganza, with a half-hour for each segment.

What about it, folks?

My old Phoenix running mate Seth Gitell flips the “on” switch for his new blog with a post on Terrell Owens’ weird news conference.

Denver filmmaker Steven Delano’s documentary “No Bigger Than a Minute” will premiere on PBS this coming Tuesday. Delano is a dwarf who was in denial for a good part of his life, and who finally decided to come to terms with that part of his identity.

Delano interviewed me during the Little People of America national conference in 2003, just before my book about dwarfism, “Little People,” came out. I have yet to see the film, but I was impressed by Delano’s thoughtful approach to telling his story.

Looks like I’ll have to remember to set the VCR — according to this, WGBH will show it on Channel 44 next Wednesday at 3 a.m.

Boston Herald columnist Margery Eagan today riffs on a piece Maureen Dowd wrote in yesterday’s New York Times. Nothing unusual about that — except that Media Nation, a paying TimesSelect customer, could not find Dowd’s column yesterday.

See for yourself. Here is the lineup for yesterday’s opinion pages. I figured Dowd had the day off.

When I choose Door #2, I have no problem finding Dowd’s column (sub. req.). But I’m not supposed to have to do that. Am I?

A bit of post-debate clean-up before moving on:

— Media Nation commenters obviously don’t like the idea of excluding anyone from future gubernatorial debates. Fair enough. But I still think that at least one or two debates ought to focus on candidates who actually have some remote chance of winning. If it were up to me, I’d have a few debates featuring just Deval Patrick and Kerry Healey, and a few with Christy Mihos and Grace Ross as well. (A Mihos-Ross match-up? Sure, why not? Anyone going to televise it? Uh, I don’t think so.)

But one point that comes up over and over really needs to be addressed, and that’s the notion that anyone who qualifies for the ballot deserves to be invited. Ballot qualifications are determined by the government; debates are sponsored by non-governmental bodies. It used to be the League of Women Voters. These days, more often than not, it’s a media organization.

For debate organizers, the fact that a candidate is on the ballot is merely one consideration to take into account. It’s amazing to me that people who are otherwise quite independent think the media ought to take dictation from the government regarding debate invitations.

— This has been much-blogged-on already, but in case you missed it elsewhere, you’ve got to see Emily Rooney’s post on the “amateurish” performance of WFXT-TV (Channel 25), which sponsored the debate along with the Boston Herald.

— Ditto for sharp-eared Phoenix writer Adam Reilly, who was listening when Jim Braude and Margery Eagan, on WTKK Radio (96.9 FM), revealed that “ordinary voter” Shonda Schilling not only isn’t ordinary — she also isn’t a voter.

Here’s a thought. Later this week, a respected, nonpartisan organization ought to poll the Massachusetts governor’s race. And anyone who’s not hovering at 10 percent or more ought to be excluded — maybe not from all subsequent debates, but certainly from a few.

In many respects, Christy Mihos and Grace Ross dominated yesterday’s gubernatorial debate. Good for them. Let’s see if they changed enough minds to get within striking distance. If so, they should be heard from again.

But if not, it’s time for at least a couple of forums at which Deval Patrick and Kerry Healey can go at it one on one. In particular, Mihos’ relentless attacks on Healey put the lieutenant governor on the defensive the entire night and allowed her principal opponent, Patrick, to stand above the fray.

That was unfair to the voters, who deserve to see how both major-party candidates perform under pressure.

A Boston Globe editorial today makes the same point.