Wishful thinking

On today's front page, LAT reporters Janet Hook and Michael Finnegan describe the GOP as a splintered party, unlikely to come together and back the party's eventual presidential nominee. Why this theme on the front page instead of the opinion pages? Why publish wishful thinking as news?

The Dems have three leading candidates in a virtual tie in Iowa while the GOP has two. Which party is fractured? Is MoveOn.org more likely to lie down with Democrat free-traders than social conservatives are with economic conservatives? Either both parties are fractured or neither is.

The reporters say the party that chooses its presidential nominee first has the advantage. Both parties are likely to have named their nominee by early spring. Is a few weeks or a month likely to make a difference?