New York Times Killed "Bush Bulge" Story

[deutsey]

FAIR Press Release:

Five days before the presidential election, the New York Times killed a
story about the mysterious object George W. Bush wore on his back during
the presidential debates, journalist Dave Lindorff reveals in an exclusive
report on this week's CounterSpin, FAIR's weekly radio show. The spiked
story included compelling photographic and scientific evidence that would
have contradicted Bush's claim that the bulge on his back was just a
matter of poor tailoring.

"The New York Times assigned three editors to this story and had it
scheduled to run five days before the election, which would have raised
questions about the president's integrity," said Lindorff. "But it was
killed by top editors at the Times; clearly they were chickening out of
taking this on before the election."

Lindorff says two other major newspapers, the Washington Post and the Los
Angeles Times, also decided not to pursue the story, which featured a
leading NASA satellite photo imaging scientist's analysis of pictures of
the president's back from the first debate.

The Times' bulge story is the latest example of possible self-censorship
by major news media during the election campaign. In September, CBS's 60
Minutes decided to delay until after the election an investigative segment
that questioned the Bush administration's use of forged Niger uranium
documents in making its case for the Iraq war, saying that "it would be
inappropriate to air the report so close to the presidential election"
(New York Times, 9/25/04; FAIR Action Alert, 9/28/04).

And on September 10, CNN reporter Nic Robertson said of a CNN documentary
on Saudi Arabia, "I don't want to prejudge our executives here at CNN...
but I think we can be looking forward to shortly after the U.S.
elections." The segment is now scheduled to air this Sunday, five days
after the election.

Lindorff first broke the story of "the bulge" in Salon (10/8/04). His
latest report, "Was Bush Wired? Sure Looks Like It," was published October
30 on MotherJones.com
(http://www.motherjones.com/news/update/2004/11/10_407.html).

CounterSpin provides a critical examination of major media stories every
week, exposing issues the mainstream press misses. It is heard on more
than 130 noncommercial stations across the United States and Canada, and
can also be heard on FAIR's website.

To listen to Lindorff's CounterSpin interview (available in Real Audio in
MP3 format), go to:

http://www.fair.org/counterspin/110504.html

The interview begins 17 minutes and 30 seconds into the show.

[KC21304]

1. Bush people admitted it was a bullet proof vest after the election.

The Secret Service did not want them to give any information on Presidential security.

[Spinzonner]

2. Any source for this

and was the statement corroborated by the Secret Service ?

[KC21304]

12. This is what the Hill had to say

http://www.hillnews.com/under_dome/110404.




the last word on Bush’s bulge

Call off the conspiracy freaks. Now it can be told: That mysterious bulge on President Bush’s back during the first presidential debate was not an electronic device feeding him answers, but a strap holding his bulletproof vest in place.

Speculation about the bulge on the Internet only increased since Georges de Paris, the Washington tailor who makes Bush’s suits, told The Hill last month that it was nothing more than a pucker on the back of Bush’s coat caused when he crossed his arms.

But sources in the Secret Service told The Hill that Bush was wearing a bulletproof vest, as he does most of the time when appearing in public. The president’s handlers did not want to admit as much during the campaign, for fear of disclosing information related to his personal security while he was on the campaign trail.

The suspicion that Bush was, indeed, wearing something under his coat was given further credence by Dr. Robert M. Nelson, a senior research scientist for NASA and Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and an international authority on image analysis, who conducted tests while working at home on his own computers.

“I am willing to stake my scientific reputation to the statement that Bush was wearing something under his jacket during the debate,” Nelson told Salon.com. “This is not about a bad suit. And there’s no way the bulge can be described as a wrinkled shirt.”

[txindy]

3. Right, and there are loads of WMD in Iraq.

And OBL and Saddam are buddies.

:eyes: That proves it wasn't a vest, if the WH has someone saying it is. Junior's tailor took credit first. Now the Secret Service. Good grief.

[KayLaw]

9. Yep

Actually, Bush said it was a wrinkled shirt. He had to wear the same shirt to all three debates because he can't afford a fancy wardrobe like his millionaire opponent, you know. :eyes:

[Catfight]

6. So I guess that negates he was lying there was ANYThING there and

'he didn't know what that was?" People are so fucking stupid. If the Bush people stated it was something the how the hell does bush get away with saying it wasn't anything?

[Old and In the Way]

8. In a secured room that had limited people?

I kinda doubt it. I suspect that it was a receiver....and that it is standard equipment for Presidents. This would provide a command channel for the SS in case their was an urgent situation where they needed to get info to the President in case of an attack/assassination attempt, etc.

That said, I suspect it is also handy for Karl Rove to use during debates/press conferences, etc to give Dimson quick talking points when his brain goes blank.

[Killarney]

4. Pussies

[NewYorkerfromMass]

5. Good. Talking about Al Qaqqa was far more productive for us

than that anyway.

[indigobusiness]

7. Didn't anybody interview Bush's tailor?

wot?

[KayLaw]

10. This is typical

The MSM is afraid of being unfair, while the the RW media has no such qualms. Thanks a lot, idiots.

:argh:

[DeepModem Mom]

11. kick