I should know better than to read even as much as a headline in The New York...

I should know better than to read even as much as a headline in The New York Times; although, as I've often pointed out to my students at Bishop Strachan this newspaper's use of the semicolon is exemplary.
Reagan Declares
Firmness on Gulf;
Plans are Unclear
Isn't that classic? I don't mean the semicolon; I mean, isn't that just what the world needs? Unclear firmness! That is typical American policy: don't be clear, but be firm!