The New York Times killed a story that could have changed the election

[truthpusher]

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2012

The Emperor's New Hump

The New York Times killed a story that could have changed the election—because it could have changed the election

By Dave Lindorff

<snip>

One week before Election Day, the Times (10/25/04) ran a hard-hitting and controversial exposé of the Al-Qaqaa ammunition dump—identified by U.N. inspectors before the war as containing 400 tons of special high-density explosives useful for aircraft bombings and as triggers for nuclear devices, but left unguarded and available to insurgents by U.S. forces after the invasion.

On Thursday, just three days after that first exposé, the paper was set to run a second, perhaps more explosive piece, exposing how George W. Bush had worn an electronic cueing device in his ear and probably cheated during the presidential debates.


It's clear even from unenhanced photos that George W. Bush has been wearing some kind of object under his clothing, both during the debates and at other public appearances. The enhancements done by NASA scientist Robert Nelson show a rectangular object with a long "tail"; in some shots a wire leading over Bush's shoulder is visible. This configuration closely resembles a PTT (Push To Talk) receiver with an induction earpiece, a device used by some actors, newscasters and politicians to allow for inaudible voice communication in a public setting. The particular model pictured here (which does not appear to be the exact type Bush wore) was manufactured by Resistance Technology, Inc. of Arden Hills, Minn.


<snip>

That the story hadn’t gotten more serious treatment in the mainstream press was largely thanks to a well-organized media effort by the Bush White House and the Bush/Cheney campaign to label those who attempted to investigate the bulge as "conspiracy buffs" (Washington Post, 10/9/04). In an era of pinched budgets and an equally pinched notion of the role of the Fourth Estate, the fact that the Kerry camp was offering no comment on the matter—perhaps for fear of earning a "conspiracy buff" label for the candidate himself—may also have made reporters skittish. Jeffrey Klein, a founding editor of Mother Jones magazine, told Mother Jones (online edition, 10/30/04) he had called a number of contacts at leading news organizations across the country, and was told that unless the Kerry campaign raised the issue, they couldn’t pursue it.

<snip>

The Times’ effort to get to the bottom of the matter through a serious investigation seemed to be a striking exception. That investigation, however, despite extensive reporting over several weeks by three Times reporters, never ran. Now, like the mythic weapons of mass destruction that were the raison d’etre for the Iraq War, the Times is thus far claiming that the Bush Bulgegate story never existed in the first place.

complete story here:

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2012

[donco6]

1. Bush could have . . .

. . . debated holding the bloody head of a choirgirl and still won the election.

To Repugs, he's the chosen one and can do no wrong. Wouldn't have made any difference at all.

[yardwork]

27. I don't think he "won" the election - I think he stole it

but I agree that the many millions who did vote for him (I know some of them so I know they're out there) are morans.

My husband says he thinks film of w screwing a goat could be shown on TV and millions would still vote for him.

[Voltaire99]

81. Nah, the Democratic Party gave it to him

When the party runs someone capable of losing to a man who lied us into war, crashed the economy, erected a police state, and rolled through the debates like a flat marble, well...

...think about it. It's John Kerry and his DLC pals whom you really have to thank.

[yardwork]

84. I understand your frustration, but don't agree

We could have run Jesus Christ against chimp-boy in this election and we would have lost.

I wasn't happy with some aspects of Kerry's campaign, but overall it was not a bad campaign. The press coverage was disgracefully biased. And the busholinis lied their asses off, and too many Americans didn't care enough to find out the truth.

[Name removed]

136. Deleted message

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[vkobaya]

103. Kerry Threw the election

I agree. Kerry wiped out his Democratic opponents in the primary like they were stiffs. Then he was inarticulate and a stumble bum in the election. It was a repeat of 2000 election when Gore threw the election. My dog could have destroyed a cigar store Indian like Dubya in a debate and my dog has been dead for 25 years. Kerry's toe nail clippings could have done better even though Dubya was cheating with a wire. Kerry barely won the debates and did poorly enough that he couldn't defeat Dubya in the election then couldn't concede fast enough before the results were even certain. Then he refused to back our brave Barbara Boxer when she challenged the results in Ohio. He did nothing when Dubya called him a war criminal, coward and traitor. His campaign was based on voting for him because he was a better Dubya than Dubya. He conceded every issue to Dubya. He never challenged him on a single issue and not even on the obvious wire that Dubya wore in the debates. Obviously he wanted Dubya to win.

Vicki

[The Zanti Regent]

110. Kerry made a Bonesman deal with Bush.

Whatever Bush wanted, his Bonesman pal gave him.

Including sending my son, my only child, to die in Iraq.

As for the Screw York Times, except for Krugman, everyone else at that propaganda rag is on the Nazi payroll. They will lie any lie for the Nazi Party. If you don't believe me go to the Daily Howler at http://www.dailyhowler.com and read Bob Somerby's archives documenting how that worthless piece of shit sold America out!

[karynnj]

173. "Barely" won the debates?

Kerry absolutely blew Bush away in the first debate and easilliy won the others. After the first one, even the biased cable media conceded that Kerry was better. Even they couldn't spin it.

Consider these 3 debates were almost the only time the public at large saw the 2 candidates unfiltered. Neither Gore or Kerry threw the elections. Gore was fine in his first debate - his answers were great, Bush's were shaky. Polls immediately after the debate gave it to Gore, then after hours of the "sighs" being broadcast, Bush wasfound to win it. (Note when Bush acted totally weird in his first debate, we did not see all of his goofy expressions played ad nauseum.) Given the way the deck was stacked, Kerry did remarkably well in the debates. Consider that the domestic debate had multiple value questions (Bush winners ), no questions on the environment (a major Kerry strength) or Energy.

[mistertrickster]

150. I agree--Kerry's people didn't raise a peep about this. Ergo, the media

couldn't make an issue of it.

If I'd been running Kerry's campaign, I would have some ham radio geeks come up with a transmitter that would have emitted a head-splitting screech causing Bush to rip out his ear piece and showing the world what a lying cheat he was.

BUT NO! Kerry takes the high road and guess what, Dems lose again.

Big surprise.

[karynnj]

174. Possibly would have hurt Kerry

Kerry had to know that evening that wiring or not, he scored a major victory - which actually helped him catch up with Bush. If he brought possible wiring up, it would have hurt unless they could prove it beyond a doubt. First, the wiring,not Kerry's success, would have been the story. Also, if they were wrong or if they couldn't convince people, Kerry would have been called delusional, mean spirited, and probably even worse things.

[okieinpain]

165. exactly. the bi*** a** DNC leadership. bent over and took one

from the gimper.

[joeystoy]

106. The Good Little Morans

I know the Morans.

Brian...
Noreen...
Kathleen...
Sean...
Kevin...
Maureen...

And all the little Morans.

Not one of them voted for Bush.

[sellitman]

121. Bingo!

[classof56]

145. Yes! I've been saying something similar for months now!

Only I said "pig" instead of "goat." His supporters would just say it's part of his "farm animal enhancement program." Guess that would fit right in with the morans' "values".

I give up!

[ObaMania]

158. In many parts of the US, goat screwers could relate! n/t

[Name removed]

159. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DemBones DemBones]

2. I will never understand why people didn't care about

the Bulge.

[Orangepeel]

8. mostly because he did SO badly in the first debate

it was hard to believe that he had help.

Whether he did or not, I don't know. But I do know that he once again benefited from the perception that he is a dolt who is too stupid to be lying or cheating. Of course, I'll never understand why anyone would want that in a leader.

[deacon2]

12. Cheers!

"...I do know that he once again benefited from the perception that he is a dolt who is too stupid to be lying or cheating. Of course, I'll never understand why anyone would want that in a leader."

Exactly. We've lowered the presidential bar so low, the next candidate will have to do the limbo.

[reprobate]

144. Next candidate? Bush will be the last President of the United States.

There will be no United States after the fall of the economy. With the dollar no longer the fiat currency, the economy MUST fail.

The only way there will be a US after that is if there is a New American Revolution. And I think that the people are too dumb to get angry enough to do this.

[hoosierblue]

167. Okay, you may have a point, but

could you lighten up a little? Sheesh.

[CottonBear]

46. That's it. Exactly. The explanation.

At last. So simple. scary. eom.

[The Doctor.]

78. I like this theory...

"Why might it be a defibrillator?

The President has a genetic disposition to AF (read study) and has not submitted for a physical this year which goes against tradition. Why has the President not submitted for a physical?

AF stands for "atrial fibrillation". "Having a parent with atrial fibrillation (AF) strongly increased an offspring's risk of developing this heart rhythm disorder, according to a study of participants in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) Framingham Heart Study." - National institute of health"

http://bulgegate.blogspot.com/

It's got merit.

[Vitruvius]

118. Bu$h's miserable performance in all 3 debates is very consistent with

a committee in the back room bickering over what he should say. As is Bu$h's pissed-off demenor in all 3 debates; I bet he was getting delayed & conflicting advice & prompts from his debate committee...

Remember -- Rethugs are incompetent in all they do. Even cheating -- which is supposed to be their forte.

[Esra Star]

133. A dry alchaholic who suffers from

dyslexia could not debate Gomer Pyle.
It is a given that he was trying to understand the instructions.
Unfortunately that was hard also and we all cringed.

[jayctravis]

155. Perhaps it was the help that completely screwed him up.

If he was wearing a wire, I'm sure both he and his Cyrano were tense. It takes a certain amount of skill to talk while taking audio cues.

[TahitiNut]

10. Would FDR have been criticized for using a wheelchair?

Let's face it: Dubya is intellectually, ethically, and emotionally more disabled than any pResident in history.

He's intellectually slothful, ethically bankrupt, and a pathological narcissist.

[smoogatz]

26. Yeah, but...

I got me a tax cut. And W sez it's okay to drive my SUV. 'sides, he's a good Christian man, and he don't talk no crap about toleratin' no homos.

[lonestarnot]

59. stugatz...what else you got?

[tavalon]

36. I'm guessing you're being facetious

Because requiring a wheelchair for a physical disability and needing to cheat at a debate because you are incompetent are miles apart.

[TahitiNut]

79. fahtheschuhss??

Sorry, that's tough to enunciate with my tongue in my cheek. :silly:

[saigon68]

66. slothful, bankrupt, narcissist

You are too kind to the CHIMPANZEE

[pokercat999]

116. and YOU are insulting chimpanzees....lol......eom

[imenja]

58. the bulge is a canard

I don't care about the bulge. I care about his policies. This bulge story was all over the place. All this adds is speculation by a NASA scientist. Big deal. The amount of revelations that did come out about George Bush didn't stop conservatives and centrists from supporting him. This is all a distraction. It's time we as Democrats started to face our own problems and improve the party rather than inventing excuses for our own failures.

[Capn Sunshine]

137. A "canard " is a false story- and this was TRUE

There wasSOMETHING under his coat. That's a fact. whether is was a receiver or a bullet proof vest something was there.
Hence, it was most emphatically NOT a canard.

Thank you, Captain Grammar....

[imenja]

141. correction noted

My point, however, was that it is not the reason we lost the election. To imagine it was is to fail to confront the problems facing the Democratic party and American more generally.

[banishbush]

156. Why do you feel like a failure?

If you do not care about your president lying and cheating right in your face then I have a problem with you!

If you believe that a rocket scientist is no big deal, then perhaps you can recommend someone more qualified?

Why do you feel like a failure?

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or
that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only
unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American
public."
Theodore Roosevelt

[imenja]

157. Of course I care about Bush's lies

But his lies on the war and Abu Ghraib are far more important to me that whatever may have been in his jacket. To imagine that a scientist speculating about this would have changed the outcome of the election is an exercise in self delusion.
The Democrats lost the election to the worst president in American history and we lost seats in both houses. Do you consider that a victory? My point is that if Democrats refuse to take responsibility for this electoral loss by projecting it onto outside forces, we will never regain power. Is winning back a Democratic majority something you care about? If so, we need to work for it. We need to address problems in the party, improve our organization, and focus on what our key principles are. Everyone seems to want to find excuses to sit back and do nothing, and I'm sick of it. The Republicans win because they want it more and are willing to work for it. They began organizing four years before the election. Kerry began his ground operations in Fla two months in advance and I imagine it was similar in other states, except of course those where he conceded the election before it began. If that pattern continues, we will not be able to win.

[orleans]

74. i cared

We cared

obviously it wasn't enough

[Robbien]

3. A facist government runs on covert activities. Of course the best way

to beat back any investigation into covert activities is to label that investigation a conspiracy theorist wacky idea. This is why many of the RNC covert activities pass without being investigated in MSM. Only the net investigates and the net has already been labeled full of conspiracy theorists by the RNC.

[Celeborn Skywalker]

5. There was also the effect

of the Dan Rather memo thing at that time, so it chilled further investigations of the administration.

[VegasWolf]

4. "Kerry camp quiet" kinda says it all. n/t

[natrat]

33. dont it

[KittyWampus]

45. Sure, Kerry Says "Bush Was Wired" And The Media Savages HIM

not Bush.

[VegasWolf]

62. Then Kerry should just have stayed home, huh. I mean he's impotent

by definition if he can't get his message across.
Wonder if Dean could have better used the media?

[KittyWampus]

68. Sure, We'd All Know Dean As The Skier Who Skipped Viet Nam.

It's not like the Media would cover Bush's ass at every turn and then set up a reporter who dares speak the truth... like Dan Rather.

OH, that's right...

[Occulus]

87. Didn't Kerry pat * on the back at one of the debates?

Wouldn't he have known then and there? Shouldn't he have done that at all three debates?

Shoot, if it had been me and I had found something like that, I would have stepped right up to the mike with no further explanation and exposed him to the world then and there!

WHY do the Dem politicians have exactly nothing in the sense of balls when their constituents come up with ways to oppose the Republicans on a daily basis?

Do their staffers take blogs and forums seriously, or do they think if we all didn't have this we'd just sit and pick our noses or something?

I'm starting to believe they simply don't much care what we think about actions they should take. If ever there were a time to break decorum and deflect procedure and this and that and actual activist tactics right there in the halls of Congress, then now is the time...

...like they'll listen to what we have to say about such things. Our ideas would be impolitic.

[ashmanonar]

89. maybe he was trying to get the defribillator to go off..

:evilgrin:

*WHACK WHACK*

"oh, what's wrong george?"

[Occulus]

100. lol

"Aspirin, George?"

[mitchtv]

76. yeah, Where in fuck is His leadership?

Afraid to sound like a sore loser, I suppose. But he is our leader.

[nascarblue]

6. I just saw this... good article.

We should file all these reports becuase we're going to need them. With the Media ignorning Ohio at the behest of KKKarl Rove, with the increasing right wing agenda on ALL the Cable shows(except good ol' Lou dobbs), and now with the all out war on the last bastion of truth, our college professors, we need all the evidence we can get. I once wrote a letter to the editor of the NY Times on Judith Miller with detailed mistakes she'd made over the past two years, and was surprised to get a lengthy response. Proof is important. Hold on to this article. We have wars coming up with the media and the protection of free speech on our campus's. It is downright criminal that right wingers and associated right wing think tankers can get away with downright lies, and liberals get fired for wanting to tell the truth of writing articles that make you think. What's happening to our country? In LA, just 12 years ago, we lit the whole city on fire over a guy getting beat up by night sticks! I can name at least 50 things that are far worse and we have done nothing. We need revolution and we need to get tough.

[Merlot]

31. I agree that we need to keep this up front

just because the elections' over doesn't change the facts in this article. Now that it can't affect the election it would be a perfect time to publish it, don'tcha think?

There's no statue of limitations on cheating in presidential debates.

[Sterling]

181. we lit the whole city on fire over a guy getting beat up by night sticks!

To me this is one of "those" moments. When the powers are caught red handed. Was R King the worst thing the LAPD had been doing around that time? No. But it did confirm what a lot of people knew about them. That they were corrupt liars. That is what cheating on national TV says to people. If this weer pursued it could have been a tabloid level scandal and lead to a lot of other things being looked at.

There he is with his hand in the cookie jar and some of our "friends" want us to ignore it.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[lovuian]

9. He still with all that help lost the Debates HA HA HA

Whoever was on the other end didn't help much at all!!!

[yorkiemommie1]

11. kick n/t

[Donailin]

13. The Times, The post and all other liberal media

shied away from a multitude of stories that could have changed the election. Goddammit. Just when you think you're calming down and accepting the inevitable, you read something like this and it's Nov. 3rd emotionalism all over again.

[kath]

101. Agree, Donailin. Reading this story just now made me literally sick to

my stomach, so much so that I actually feel close to vomiting. For the past 5 years the MSM has given the Chimp a pass on SO many important issues -- we are so absolutely screwed. If the press had done an adequate job of covering W's past in 2000 (think AWOL, Funeralgate, Harken insider trading, DWI's, etc, etc) he probably wouldn't have been able to steal his way into office in the first place.


AAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH.

[silvermachine]

170. "The Times, The post and all other liberal media"

Never heard of such a thing. eom

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

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[zara]

15. George Soros Is Right About John Kerry

...Not much of a Candidate.
Since we lost, wouldn't it have been better to go down fighting, with Howard Dean?

[leesa]

48. Funny. Is THAT what you got out of this story?? Doesn't it bother you

that your hero Bush is a cowardly con man?

[zara]

138. hero Bush?

what a nutty reply. just because Kerry was too much of a wuss to put up a fight, why would you possibly think I like Bush? I admire Soros tremendously though.

[rayofreason]

54. Dean

....would have been much better.

[zara]

139. we got him at DNC

Yes!

[WestMichRad]

16. Ohmagosh! You mean * is a liar and a cheat?!

Gosh, if I'd known that I'd have never....
<sarcasm off>

C'mon, it didn't matter. * came out of the debates looking as dumb as a post and 58 million STILL allegedly voted for him.

What we really have is pulsating proof that the bar for presidential election politics has been lowered to the depths of depravity. If the anointed one is charismatic and his opponent, no matter how intelligent and eloquent, isn't the kind that NASCAR daddies would wanna share a beer with, it curtains for getting an intelligent result. It's all about IMAGE, baby - regardless of how phony that public image is, if it can be projected forcefully to the admiring robotic masses, you've got it made!

(and having control over the vote-counting sure doesn't hurt...)

[w4rma]

18. The vast majority of pundits and media owners praising him and covering

up for him helped, also. 24/7 Bash Kerry, praise Bush.

[WestMichRad]

21. OK, so the MSM is in the Administration's pocket.

Sorry, have I missed another point here?
:shrug:

[w4rma]

109. Exactly.

I wasn't disagreeing with you. I was adding to your description.

[pretzel4gore]

35. no way...

no way 69 percent of iraqis voted; no way 58 million americans voted for a tumbleweed...
that's the tragedy

[driver8]

104. the bar has definitely been lowered!

After the elections, I thought that there was NO WAY Bush could win the election. He looked like a fucking bufoon up there.
58 million people in 'Merka fell for his bullshit hook, line and sinker. They don't care if their President is smart -- he is a good ol' boy and they are going to have a beer with him.

[MnFats]

17. Jesus. The f**** cheated. Not surprising, but shocking.

Why not just drop the masks and admit he is Our Divine Leader, chosen by God himself and not bound by any rules or ethics because he is God's sole representative on Earth.

Is there ANYTHING this asshole would not stoop to? Is there ANYTHING that would dislodge his supporters in Congress?

Molesting a kid in front of the Lincoln Memorial? Snorting coke on camera before the SOTU speech?


When did we pass the gates of hell?

[Pastiche423]

28. When did we pass the gates of hell?

December 12, 2000.

[tavalon]

37. you got it

We passed through the gates of hell and they looked disturbingly like the doors of the Supreme Court. All hail the emporor in his new clothes.

[Lizzie Borden]

19. I saw it, I saw it, I saw it.

It was there for all 3 debates and nobody will ever convince me that I didn't see what I saw.:evilfrown: :evilfrown:

[janetle]

132. Me too

I saw it with my own eyes before anything was ever said in the media.

[otohara]

20. His "Followers" Don't Give A Rats Ass About His Cheating, Stealing

Lying, Killing, and all the other shit - I swear he could walk out and shoot someone and the media wouldn't report it, and if they did - the faithful would make up excuses and forgive him.

[calimary]

41. Oh but heaven forbid he'd get an illicit blow job.

Un-fucking-believable.

And YES, let's NOT forget that he screwed up all three debates, even while cheating.

[DBoon]

93. If he did and someone dared try to report it...

They'd be found dead of "suicide" conveniently soon enough

[mgmstl]

92. His followers are nothing but FASCISTS!!!!!!

That is because his followers are a bunch of FASCISTS, and FASCISTS have no regard, for the truth, the rule of law, fair play. They are thugs, criminals, who know nothing but getting their candidate elected at whatever cost. Whoever said we passed the gates of hell on Dec 12 2000, is so damn correct.

[Garbo 2004]

22. If the evident lies about Iraq and the fiasco and horror there wasn't

enough to change some folks' minds about Bush, I really fail to see how any report about "the bulge" would make any difference, much less change the outcome of the election.

"Cheating" about getting the US into a bloody war that would have recupercussions for decades (it ain't no Grenada) vs. "cheating" during a Presidential debate? Going from a sound budget surplus to a record deficit in less than four years vs. the Pres getting coached via an earpiece? Nah, I just don't see how a NYT article on that would have made any difference.

Remember, those who pledge their blind allegiance to Bush aren't into a fact based reality mindset. It ain't about facts. Or truth. That's why arguing and presenting objectively substantiated facts makes no difference in their views.

[tavalon]

39. Apparently they disagreed with you

They killed it because it was too close to the election.

[Garbo 2004]

72. That's what the NYT says? They also said they were finding WMD in Iraq

with their ace reporter Judith Miller personally hot on the trail directing military staff as she trance channeled her "trusted authoritative source."

The Times killed the story not because it would have made a significant difference to the election but because they were afraid of the blowback on them: it would have been portrayed by others as a politically motivated last minute "hit piece" on Bush. And the story was still indeed speculative, not definitive, regardless if the source of the speculation was a NASA scientist. (Look what happened to CBS even when they did have the facts based on Bush's military records released by the White House. And as noted even the Al Qaa Qaa story, not speculative, was attacked and continued to be spun by the Administration even as more corroboration from different sources and the military surfaced.)

Arguing that the story (and I read the Salon piece at the time) in and of itself would have changed the election's outcome, well frankly no way. Neither does the Times make that claim. They would have been laughed at, derided and attacked and they knew it.

The NYT bungled the Iraq story completely but would have struck a death blow against Bush's reelection chances with a story on an earpiece during the debates? That story was out there already and didn't make a difference. There were no WMD's in Iraq, no Niger uranium, no aluminum tubes for nuclear weapon production: people died and are still dying for a pack of lies. Additionally, US has been detaining and by the world's standards (if not Bush's and Gonzales') torturing people without any due process: that's the sort of thing one associates with despots not democracy. And during the campaign the President went goofy talking about OBGYN's practicing their love on women and while he was safe from terrorist attacks he apparently was repeatedly attacked by pretzels, bicycles and segways. (Either that or Laura was whomping on him on a regular basis.) Not to forget the apparently "unimaginable" 9-11 attacks that our own and other intelligence agencies tried to warn Bush about but he ignored. And to which when the second WTC was hit he responded with about 7 minutes of lip pressing and staring off into space during a photo op. And then had another photo op with the kids as he told the country what it already had seen for itself. And then flew around the country until Cheney told him it was safe to return to Washington.

But the NYT held the earpiece/coaching story because allegedly that story would have done Bush in? With whom? The portion of the electorate that clearly didn't care about any of the above? That's simply not logical.

[truth2power]

123. I've been saying that, here, over and over. Gonna keep saying it.

Bush/Cheney are speaking to the primitive brain of their base. I shudder every time I read about someone trying to convince a hard-core supporter of the Little Emperor by presenting facts or documentation. Ain't gonna work. (Those so-called success stories are, IMHO, people who were WAY out on the fringe of Bush-lovers. Vanishingly few, in terms of a normal curve.)

If you dig deep enough, everything Bushco says appeals to fear and the need for survival in the listener. Fear of terra, fear of gay marriage, fear of freedom, even. Nice projection, that! Bush says the "terrorists" hate freedom. Actually, it's his base that fears freedom and lack of constraints on their raging ids.

It's a cult, and as long as Limbaugh et al are reinforcing the primitive fear emotions 24/7, we don't have a prayer of making any inroads.

The Democratic Party should find someone who does cult deprogramming and see what they have to offer in terms of strategy. Although, from what little I know, first the individual has to be "kidnapped" and taken to some secure location, where they can be deprogrammed. Don't know how you'd do that with the base, but it wouldn't hurt to think metaphorically and outside the box. :shrug:

[peacetalksforall]

23. Truth - Schopenhauer

"Every truth passes through three stages before it is recognized. In the first, it is ridiculed, in the second it is opposed, in the third it is regarded as self-evident."

Arthur Schopenhauer 1788-1860

In the fourth - it should be acknowledged.

Remember the Clinton (character) assassination?

Just admit it.
Just come forward.
Just apologize.
This was the mantra of all the right wing hacks for three years.
It was talking point number 1. Hammer him.

Bush is un-American. His string puller handlers are un-American.

The citizens of this country deserve more.

Just admit it George.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

122. Lovely and heartening quote. Thanks for posting n/t

MKJ

[Melynn]

24. Remember how Bush slouched forward at the first debate?

Remember how stooped over Bush was at the first debate? Bet the reason was the bulge in his back.

[DemoTex]

25. What about other "bulge" pictures and suggestions this is a heart device?

There was one picture of Bu$h in his pick-up truck on the pig farm, in a sweaty tee shirt with a mechanical bulge on his back. There was some inference that it was a heart defibrillator device, or something like that. Either way, cheating or seriously ill, deception is deception. But, then, what do you expect from this pathological liar?

[smoogatz]

30. It wasn't a defibrillator

That story was bogus. Atrial fibrillation is not life-threatening; it's mostly just a nuisance (I had it for fifteen years). No one would put up with the mule-kick of a portable defibrillator to correct it. Only people with ventricular fibrillation--a much more dangerous condition--would wear a defibrillator; and then only until they could have a smaller one surgically implanted.

[DemoTex]

40. Then you think it was a "wire"? Fair enough.

Why was Bu$h wearing a "wire" in his pick-up truck in Crawford? Is he so stupid that he needs prompting 24/7? Oops .. nevermind.

[Lisa]

50. personally, I think he's going around stealing people's iPods

And like a juvenile shoplifter, he thinks that if he shoves it under his clothes, it'll escape detection (and nobody would dare to pat him down for it).

I mean, he's stolen a whole bunch of other things -- elections, the budget surplus, America's reputation -- maybe he's a kleptomaniac and just can't resist pinching what isn't his.

[smoogatz]

127. I'd be speculating...

…but I'd be willing to bet he wears a wire whenever he's out in public; that way he's always in (one way) communication with his handlers. He's basically a ventriloquist's dummy. That's how much Rove, et al, think of his ability to think on his feet.

[leftchick]

29. sorry but NO story would have changed the elections...

The fact is even if the story had run the election fraud still would have occured just as it did, and chimpy** once again wins by cheating.

[VegasWolf]

57. I don't know, I think Rove releasing the Osama bin Laden tape

at the last moment scared the idiots into voting for bush.
That story was a Rovian stroke of genius. :)

[AuntiBush]

88. That was the final blow

and clincher!

Early last week while watching him give a news brief we could clearly see a wire coming out of his ear, leading down wards under his collar. Facing the TV it was on our left, in his right ear. The give-away was the long, blue oval sign behind him, with a white-rim trim. That white-rimmed trimming is what gave away the wire.

If this isn't proof he's not the 1 in charge, I don't know what else can proof that he's totally incompetent, and incapable of running this country. That alone should be enough... and I do question "why" the media did not come out w/this wire story.

Everyone can blame Kerry, I too question it, but in the end the Media is a total fault. And I thought I could trust the NY Times.

Hope the posters out here are correct when they say the bubbles gotta bust on it... it's gotta or we're all in big trouble.

:scared:

[inslee08]

32. "axed on late Wednesday, October 27"

Is it possible that the Times chose to give more space to the Red Sox winning the World Series?

Or am I just some lunatic Sox fan, thinking that they're this important?

[KamaAina]

34. Yet Bush** was somehow able to overcome all that liberal bias (sarcasm)

Imagine what he could do if that darn lib'rul media weren't always out to get him </sarcasm>

[hollowdweller]

38. If that's what it was it didn't help. Kerry kicked his ass in the debate

[DemoMemo]

42. But, it didn't help Bush!

The amazing thing is that even if he used the technology, Bush's performance was so uneven and stumbling during the debates. If this story is true, it can only mean that the REAL Bush -- one appearing on the podium without the benefit of the hidden voice prompter -- is sure to come across a complete babbling moron.

[VegasWolf]

43. Even by cheating, bush still couldn't win a debate. n/t

[Ouabache]

73. The device WAS NOT working properly during first debate

His first debate was below the level of a 4th grader. The device was mal-functioning. Even when it functions as in the 2nd and 3rd debates he merely rises to middle school debating level as was painfully obvious. Well, at least to Americans with academic competence above middle school level. That's my info on the situation. Anytime that is high stakes, he is wired. When he does poorly there were technical problems, which could also further be complicated by his medication types and levels. And I am convinced he has been and quite probably is still heavily medicated for a number of physical and mental disorders.

[IceOwl]

97. Evidence?

Do you have proof that it was malfunctioning?

Seriously, this whole "he was wearing a wire" business is bullshit. If he was wearing a wire, how is it that he did so poorly in ALL. THREE. DEBATES.?!?!

Please, anyone, I want to hear the logic behind this, because I just don't get it.

Also, that picture looks different every time I see it. It's becoming the internet's largest, most believed hoax. Grow some brains and use them, people.

[apple_ridge]

120. According to TBRNEWS.ORG, it was jammed during the

first debates. Check the "News from The White House" archives just after the first debate and if you doubt the validity of the source, go back and read all the entries from that source. The accuracy of his statements are becoming more apparent with each passing day.

[IceOwl]

160. I repeat!

ALL

THREE

DEBATES

[VegasWolf]

166. So bush got bad advice during the debates, all three. It would be

par for the course for the monkey brain administration.
Bush garbled his responses, especially in the 1st, but his
input was defective. Name ONE thing this administration has done well. There is no one competent there to give georgie succint
words, even assuming georgie could mouth them correctly.

[mistertrickster]

154. The fact that Bush did poorly even WITH help is no real reason that

he didn't cheat. It wouldn't be that easy to talk and listen at the same time. Dipshit probably got ideas when Kerry was talking, but then Dipshit had to articulate them.

Articulation is not his strong suit, in case you haven't noticed.

But I'm still working on "growing my brain" as you so helpfully suggested, heh.

[BrklynLiberal]

44. Can't wait til Laura blows the whistle on W and Condi's affair!!!

hahahahahahahaha :evilgrin:

[bywho4who]

153. HE Had His Last

Black female Snuffed

[leesa]

47. Imagine my surprise. The MSM burying a story for political reasons???

The painfully 'pro-Bush media no matter what' buries a piece that could have harmed the First Fraud?? What a novelty!

[thingsarelookingup]

52. small town paper

The first paper that Nelson took the story to is our home town paper, The Pasadena StarNews. For the election they came out in support of Bush and are fairly right-wing. No surprise they declined. They did print my letters in support of Bush & praising Boxer however key sentences get deleated here and there.

[thingsarelookingup]

55. oy, I meant in support of Kerry - too tired!! n/t

[Spacejet]

49. Don't believe it

The first debate was so bad it had me believing he was going to throw the election. If this is what it was he would have done better.

Now MAYBE if it was present at the next two debates...

Plus Rove et al no doubt checked him over a million times before the debate. They would have caught this being visible.

[stavka]

51. Yeah - right...

If he was wearing an ear piece, Kerry must have been wearing a radio scrambler.

A NASA scientist...

"PTT i.e. push to talk"...

...all that sounds really great, too bad we lost the election over this failure. If that's all it took, we should all pack our bags and move north.

[terryg11]

53. unfortunately voters didn't care about his performance

I was pretty objective in my viewing of the debates since I wasn't a big fan of either candidate yet Bush had to have given three of the worst debate showings I've ever seen (this includes high school). No one cared if he cheated and no one would have believed it anyway given the piss poor answers (or non answers) he gave most of the time.

As far as the story getting buried I remember seeing both of them and they weren't in the times. The story about the munitions dump I heard on the radio and read in a few local papers before the election.

no one who voted for Bush cared about any of this

[imenja]

56. Grasping at straws

How would this story have changed the election? All this article says is that a scientist examined photos and saw a t shaped bulge on Bush's back that could be consistent with an electronic devise. It doesn't prove anything was there. The articles use of the word "debates" is misleading. No bulge was spotted in the second or third debates. For the sake of argument, let's assume Bush was wired during the first debate. His performance was appalling. It's hard to imagine anyone could have done worse. If there was a wire, it did him no good.

Moreover, most of the public pays no attention to the New York Times. Fox regularly ridicules the paper as leftist propaganda. Many Americans erroneously imagines it represents a "far left" perspective, since that is what right wing radio and Fox tells them. Given all the revelations that have come out about Bush during the election, why would this one have made the difference? He lied to bring us into war, presided over a regime of torture in Abu Ghraib and Gitmo, has mortgaged our future through record breaking deficits, and ignored our Constitution. We are to believe a story speculating about this bulge is supposed to have changed the outcome of the election?

It seems to me that some Democrats are desperate to find excuses for the electoral loss rather than confront problems in the party: the absence of a thematic and consistent message, poor organization in campaigns, and tremendous party disunity and lack of discipline that benefits Republicans. If we don't start looking seriously at our own problems, we will not win.

I expect I'll get a number of responses saying Kerry really won the election. That is the standard response for those who refuse to think about solutions. Obviously Kerry did not win, since he is not now in the White House. Whether the electoral result was tainted is another question, but the answer is not to pretend that responsibility for our loss lies outside the party. If enough Americans had voted Democrat, no amount of fraud could have kept Kerry from assuming power, since Americans would have poured into the streets as Ukrainians did. We need to work on election reform and improve the party so that future Democratic victories are irrepressible.

[lonestarnot]

60. Kerry won get over it!

[imenja]

64. This is really getting pathetic

so this is your response to make sure you don't have to do anything? It's this sort of poverty of imagination and thought that paralyzes the party.

He obviously did not "win" since Bush was declared the victor and was inaugurated on Jan. 20. Assuming you are correct that more people cast votes for Kerry than Bush, pouting about the outcome solves nothing. If you and others continue this old song as an excuse for everything, you guarantee perpetual Republican rule. Perhaps that is what you really want. Whether or not that is your
desired outcome, this sort of attitude guarantees it.

Without work, organization, and ideas, we will not win. Ask yourself whether you want to really work for Democratic victories or whether your prefer to sit back and complain. Frankly, I am furious at this kind of a cop out precisely because it benefits the Republicans.

[lonestarnot]

65. wasted your post here dear not reading, I have the cheap ignore button

Kerry won get over it!

[imenja]

67. ignore, how appropriate

That is your approach to electoral politics. Ignore the problems. And how very sad you feel so unequipped to engage in a debate over the issue.

"Get over it": What an odd comment considering Kerry, sadly, is not our president. We have Bush for four more years. The only way to "get over it" is to ensure the Republicans lose seats in 2006 and 2008. Of course that requires work and ideas. Not just sitting around complaining.

[mistertrickster]

152. Thanks for that insight--You're right, the Bush stole the election line is

just not helpful even if true.

The Democrats should have crushed this worst-president-ever flatter than an armadillo under a log truck. The fact that WE couldn't shows that what we're doing is not working.

Time to wake up and change tactics.

[truthpusher]

63. I think it could have made a significant difference...

...The reason Bush & Co. can get away with so much has a lot to do with 'posturing' and being seen as the strongest and biggest bully. If Bush were found to be so incompetent that he had to wear a wire, then maybe we could have been in a position to be the bully for a while...and guess what, I think America likes bully's.

[imenja]

70. maybe

but the way I see it, he betrayed the American people in many more serious ways. It's hard to put oneself in the place of a Bush supporter, but if you support him after he lies about war and sanctions torture, why worry about an electronic device?

[truthpusher]

125. You can also see it as....

...If he would lie about something so small, God only knows what else he lied about (think Clinton).

[yorkiemommie1]

147. yes they do

it's that 'bad boy' image. look at the posturing. the body language as he leans across the podium and smirks. this is the bully that used to push 'them' around on the playground and not let them in his games, but now he's reformed and he's going to look out for them. and maybe let them sit at his table at lunch time.

i see this subservient fawning attitude in people in my own life all the time.

[IdaBriggs]

113. ROTFLMA!!! "Poured into the streets!" That's pretty funny!

I've told you before I worked for two months on election fraud investigation (and have offered to hold a private conversation with you about some of the stuff we found). Getting ANYONE to give a rat's ass about it was difficult, let alone getting them to riot in the streets! As more and more evidence accumulated, there were TWO major points of view expressed:

1) Dear God in heaven, can we PLEASE stop talking about this stuff already? I have Christmas shopping to do!

and

2) That is just terrible, but there isn't anything I can do about it, no matter how blatant the problem. Isn't there someone you could report this to? I'm sure SOMEONE is doing something about it -- there isn't ANYTHING an "average" American like myself can do. I can't believe how much Christmas shopping I still have left!

Seriously, its now February, and NOTHING has changed. People are busy with their "real" lives, and they don't "get" that politics actually MATTER to them. There is a serious disconnect between the antics of the powerful, and their impact on the electorate. Princess Di was more relevant to most people than Bush, Kerry, or any of the Nazi's currently in Washington. My favorite example is this idiot I know who is about to lose his house (foreclosure) because his wife lost her fabulous job at Global Crossing, and then didn't get her severance package because they declared bankruptcy -- all of this a little more than six months after they gave George Senior $13 Million for a half hour talk explaining how to go bankrupt, and reorganize the "headquarters" in the Caribbean.

He has difficulty seeing the connection between his personal hardship, and the paid advice the company received from Bush Senior. Did I mention he's an idiot?

So, you keep working on "improving" the party; it'll keep you busy, and make you feel like you are doing something worthwhile. Won't make a damn bit of difference, though, because (I repeat) Stalin was right: it isn't who votes that counts, its who counts the votes -- and right now, a bunch of criminals have a vested interest in making sure the rule of law is something they DON'T need to worry about.

[imenja]

131. what is the alternative?

to give up and surrender to Republican rule? That option is not acceptable. There is a great deal we can do as individuals, but only through working together. The problem is apathy. Apathy allows dominance by the corporate elite and military expansionists.
I would love to quit talking about the election. I'm not the one who keeps raising vote fraud as a reason to avoid doing anything.
Howard Dean is poised to become DNC chair. The party has a real possibility of changing direction. This is the worst possible moment to give up. The only effect of giving up is to allow continued Republican rule. They win because the work harder, they are more unified, and better organized. They want it more. Any experience with a democratic campaign, or even looking around DU, tells you we fall short on all of those counts. We have to surpass their level of sweat and commitment if we want to gain power.

[IdaBriggs]

135. Look, I'll say it one more time --

the more votes you get, the more votes THEY get. This year the Democratic party was the most organized EVER (scary thought!); the candidate was a good, middle of the road guy: war hero, prosecuting attorney, well educated, respected Senator. Bad things -- Smear Boat Vets notwithstanding -- were pretty hard to come by. They had to resort to lying, and making stuff up. ("Traitor" and "Flip-Flopper" come to mind.) Meanwhile, Bush is THE most hated President EVER (beating Clinton at his best); the country has been attacked by terrorists, gone to war against two other countries, we are in an economic disaster, our safety net is at its weakest, 45+ million people have no health insurance, blah, blah, blah -- and Bush was crowned anyway.

More people voted for Kerry than for any other Democrat EVER -- and that's before the vote flipping. The problem isn't the party; the problem is the criminals who CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE POWER because they will go to JAIL. You and I don't have that kind of incentive, or access to the resources they employ. Its depressing, but true.

Look, these idiots are KILLING people -- seriously KILLING PEOPLE, and NO ONE is doing anything about it because there isn't anything that can be done. Want to march in circles? That always helps (sarcasm), and over a million people did it last September; nothing has changed. Tens of millions of people voted; nothing changed. Main stream media will NOT report on the "real" issues because their parent companies are making money off of the parasites in power, and THAT is one of the biggest problems we have.

We need Radio Free America, because we are being occupied by fascists.

"Pitch a bitch, pose a solution." I don't have a solution, or else I would be proposing it. Your solution doesn't involve identifying the REAL problem, and thus comes across as a total waste of time (in my opinion).

My husband just suggested buying one of the MSM outlets. Wonder what the asking price is these days? :)

[imenja]

140. we need long term strategy

Buying media outlets is important. This year may very well have been the most organized Dem's have ever been, but it wasn't any where near good enough. I was a volunteer coordinator for 4 precincts for the Kerry campaign. I can tell you personally the level of disorganization was stunning. I don't blame the staffers. They worked very hard and pulled off a lot in a short period of time. But Kerry sent them to Florida only two months before the election. The Republicans started organizing immediately after the 2000 election. This is the sort of thing we MUST do to compete. I can think of many things to improve in terms of get out the vote efforts that I learned through my own frustrations with the Kerry campaign. We have done no where near enough.
We need to plot a long term strategy like the Republicans did after Goldwater's defeat. Democrats think only about candidates and one election to another. That is short sighted. Hopefully Dean will bring a vision to the party that will help this problem. He also has a good start for a grass roots base through Democracy for America.
Part of the reason people don't care about deaths in Iraq is the media. Fox lies to them continuously, as do the right wing shows on MSNBC. CNN and NPR have lost their nerve. We must gain control of media outlets. There are Dem's with plenty of money: Soros, Teresa Heinz, the Hollywood crowd. Or we can form a people's media cooperative. Let's show them what a liberal media really is!
We have not even begun to fight. There is so much more we can do to get our message out and our base mobilized. Giving up is not an option.

[Sterling]

182. The alternative is to face how bad things really are.

Your strategy seems to be play by the rules you would like to have apply to the game, not the ones that actually exist.

[njdemocrat106]

61. Gee, that's real surprising (NOT)

I wouldn't expect anything less from a cheater. I agree with the other posters who say if the Kerry camp brought this up, THEY would be savaged and not Bush. It's a lose-lose situation.

[NVMojo]

69. shame on the nyt's, they are pathetic

[paineinthearse]

71. This really ticked me off. Here's my work from another forum.

I was an active member of another forum during the campaign. Although I posted this official White House photo (that has been on the the White House website since August, 2002 and remains there today) and tried to motivate members, it really never caught on. I also "blasted" it to at least 100 news outlets. So it's not only the NY Times that sat on the story, others were complicitous.

No JPL or other enhancement is needed. It clearly shows a bulge and wire under a tee shirt (not a wrinkle in a Georges de Paris suit).

Come on, America, wake up!

"http://www.whitehouse.gov/ news/releases/2002/08/images/20020809-1_ranch8-515h.jpg

(close-up the space after ".gov/")



Here are links to my threads.

http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=3638&hl=bulge

http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=4971&hl=bulge

http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=5743&hl=bulge
(note, my avatar had been the photo above, before I went into "tin man" mode)

Complete media blackout and WH stupidity. American deserves this moron.

[imenja]

75. there is definitely something there

It's easier to see under the t-shirt than the suit. But tell me, why would he need an electronic device telling him what to say while he was riding around on his ranch? He's pretty good at the quick give and take, usually based on lame jokes, with reporters. Have you spotted anything in his ear? You should be able to blow that picture up. Is there something else it might be?

[paineinthearse]

77. Do as you please

I put in hours of effort prior to the election trying to get this noticed by the M$M. See my post in the Mass forum and you'll see I'm feeling a bit burned out. So if you have the resources, be my guest.

[imenja]

85. I blew it up

but can't figure out how to paste it here. I didn't see anything inside his ear, but my computer monitor isn't very good. If anyone knows how I can do that, please let me know.

[Rockerdem]

83. Wow, what a photo

I havent seen this before. He is either hiding a serious medical condition or has some communication or security device.

Thanks.

[paineinthearse]

178. Spread it far and wide....be sure to include the WH link n/t

[paineinthearse]

180. My letter to and reply from the NY Times public editor, Arthur Bovino

Note how Bovano completely ignored my request to validate if the Times had ever looked at/ investigated / published the pick-up truck photo.

Get the pick-up photo into the Time's and other media outlets. Put it on billboards; make color copies and plaster it on kiosks; email it to friends. Be sure to include the web address.

http: //www. whitehouse. gov/news/releases/2002/08/images/20020809-1_ranch8-515h. jpg

(close-up the spaces after the http: & periods)
==============================================================

From: Public <[e-mail]>
To: (me)
Subject: Re: For what it's worth - Did the New York Times kill a story that could have changed the election?
Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2005 22:34:32 +0000


Dear Mr. (me),

We did look into it, in fact the FAIR post you're referring us to includes Mr. Okrent's response to this issue at the bottom. Please read the things you send us before sending them. It's a waste of our time and takes away from time spent dealing with readers' concerns.

Sincerely,
Arthur Bovino
Office of the Public Editor

At 02:22 PM 2/5/2005, you wrote:

Mr. Arthur Bovino
Office of the Public Editor
The New York Times
Subj: The New York Times killed a story that could have changed the election

I am sending this to you and not the news room because it is not news (at least to members of Democratic Underground and CommonGroundCommonSense). Fair.org claims the Times intentionally buried a story that, if published, could have changed the outcome of the 2004 Presidential election.

A. Please look into the validity of this claim.

B. I personally sent the image and link if item #2 below to the Times, as well as at least 50 other national newspapers, including your Boston Globe division, on or about 9/15/04. Is the Times aware of the photo? Has it ever re-published or investigated it?

Sources:

1. http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2012 - The Emperor's New Hump. The New York Times killed a story that could have changed the election—because it could have changed the election...Extra! January/February 2005... By Dave Lindorff
2. - "bulge under tee shirt" picture that has been on the White House website for 2 years.

Respecfully,

(me)

[napi21]

80. If he really did wear this thing, how could he have done so bad?

I admit, he was wearing something under his suit. Whatever it was, I have to assume it was to somehow help him in the debates. How in the world could he have done such a bad job...even with help?

I know his orating ability is non-existent, but ghees! Who the heck was helping him?

It's very sad that we can't depend on the media anymore. I wonder what will change that?

[imenja]

86. it's like cheating on an essay test

I'm not sure he was wired. But assuming he was, cheating only helps on simple answers. In classes, crib notes can help for multiple choice exams, but if you need to write a thoughtful essay, they do you little good. You need to have your ideas together before the exam so you know what you are going to write. Being told bits of information might likely be more confusing than doing it on his own.

[Sterling]

183. Awesome, you get it.

The whole, but why did he suck so bad argument is weak. If you think about this process of being fed info, it is not easy to play like you are not doing it. News people are paid very well for this skill. Bush lacks these skills almost as much as he does the education and intellect to form ideas and answers on his own. But not quite as much. This was a bad option for them but really the best they could do with what they have to work with.

W will keep his mouth shut about all the dirty crime they are pulling off while he fronts the show. That is his value. He is the best they could do at the time to kick off PNAC.

[politicasista]

82. I love Kerry bashing!

:bounce: :argh: :grr: :mad:

[nashville_brook]

90. stories like this .... on the one hand i want to say "see, the fix was in"

with the other hand i want to smack kerry upside the head for not FIGHTING.

[Gyre]

91. Oh man, that makes me feel better!

Before reading this, I thought that the chimp won all on his own. Now THAT was a depressing thought!

Gyre

[politicasista]

94. I want to slap the Kerry campaign for their passive attitude...

towards THE WORST PRESIDENT EVER. And they should have allowed us blacks on the campaign staff. Thanks alot pathethic campaign. You have made us all argue against ourselves. :mad: :mad: :argh: :grr:

[farmbo]

95. Could Straum and Cahill have been bigger DICKS!? Geeeze...Not likely.

They dutifully fell headlong into every Rovian trap...

And they meticulously ignored any blockbuster issues handed to them on the proverbial silver platter.

[joytomme]

96. It would have made a difference

First, if the NYT had run it, it would have meant the NYT was breaking with the MSM tacit agreement to let the GOP threaten them into submission. That alone would have been a powerful position to take. It would have said "the fix is not in".

Second, I know some very good people who voted for Bush because they thought war-time was no time to change leadership. It's not true that all Repubs are morons. A story like Bush cheating in such a blatant way from a respected huge paper like the NYT would have made a lot of people think twice.

But since the NYT made the decision they made, we now know the fix was in.

One of the things I would like to know is exactly what the GOP threatened the MSM with. Why did the big newspapers believe the threat? What could the GOP (and I actually mean The Carlyle Group which owns the GOP) have done to the media that was so threatening?

Joy Tomme (http://ratfuckdiary.blogspot.com)

[fooj]

98. "...total lack of integrity on the part of the President."

Shrub is a spineless coward. The irony of the story is that Faux News ultimately screwed him. Seems like they have a problem honoring agreements and following rules, as well! I don't know how that man can sleep at night! Insecure bastard! He still bombed out even though he cheated! And as for those "rags"...they should be totally ashamed of their behavior! Their inaction and lack of journalistic integrity is inexcusable. Because of their lack of courage, they have put this country at great risk!

[NightOwwl]

99. This is what could have changed the election...

Too bad Kerry chose to ignore it.

[driver8]

105. Wow -- looking at that photo made me realize how much...

the Shrub has aged!! This job is sure taking a toll on him.

That's too bad.

[DoYouEverWonder]

115. It's not the job that's aging asshole

it's the years of drinking, drugs and hatefulness.

[baron j]

102. It took a NASA scientist to enhance that photo?

I could do the same with Photoshop and the brightness/contrast sliders in a minute...

They need to armor the Humvees with whatever mystical substance that is coating this administration, because none of their blatant crimes seem to stick.

About Dumbya being a stupid jackanape, as evidenced by every word and gesture--and his performance during the debates:

I've been puzzling over this for some time, and I've come to the conclusion that they picked him as their puppet, because he is such a raving idiot. Think about it...What could be more insidious, than pure evil--instead of being a smoking, rocky substance like in "Time Bandits"--wrapped up in the body of an oafish goon? The weaker minds would never notice. If Bush were witty, polished, and handsome, his decisions would paint him in nothing more than an infernal light.

Though I'm probably giving the sheep too much credit. They'd probably still follow him, even if he were a silver-tongued devil.

[Cooley Hurd]

108. Welcome to DU, baron j!

:hi:

It's good to see a newbie with such a firm grasp on what's really happening. Welcome!

[bklyncowgirl]

107. If you're going to take a shot at the king ...

you better make damn sure you hit him.

I have a feeling that coming right on the heels of "Rathergate" the Times got a serious case of cold feet on this one.

P.S. Not to Agent Mike. The word "shot" is allegorical in this case and was not meant to condone violence against Dear Leader but purely verbal assaults as guaranteed by the first amendment which, the last I checked was still the supreme law of the land unless that changed since Judge Gonzales became Attorney General.

[dalloway]

111. Start blasting this story to the media! We should take advantage

of the rest of the media's propensity to bash the NY Times. Maybe they'll run this as much as to criticize the Times as to get the Bulgegate details out there. The facts need to get out--the INTERNETS aren't wacko!

[Nightwing]

112. Bush cheats and Kerry bashers rejoice??

WTF is up with that nonsense? Bush cheated during the debates, the NYT didn't run the story but it's all Kerry's fault?? You people are no better than the Bushies who stop at nothing to blame Clinton for their mistakes.

Did Kerry make mistakes while campaigning? Yes he did and the media pounced on even the slightest misstep, the fact that the media did not treat * the same speaks volumes as to where their hearts were. We saw the same BS in 2000 with Gore vs * when Al Gore was clearly the winner of that election.

To the Kerry bashers, please stop being so damned childish. You're acting like a ten year old whining because he didn't get the last Popsicle or cookie. Grow up!!

[paineinthearse]

126. Just sent this and more to.....

Arthur Bovino
Office of the Public Editor
The New York Times

With copies to three prominent bloggers.

Holding my breath and will print the reply.

[underpants]

114. Puppet

it's official

[DoYouEverWonder]

117. Actually, the NYT killed 1000's of stories

instead they published the WH version of everything.

If there ever comes a day of judgment, I hope the co-conspirators at the NYT are among the first to hang.

[truthpusher]

124. and these guys are just about all we have left in MSM?

[imenja]

142. and they cheered on the war

and continue to employ Judith Miller. This is hardly the most serious of stories when compared to their many other journalistic transgressions.

[Mockingbird]

119. The recurring dream

its back in the news again...

Coulda be a muscle relaxing "shock" module for all those aches after falls off his bicycle.

Coulda been an "invisible fence" to keep him from straying off the podium.

Coulda been his iPod, I guess...


The argument that Georgie did badly in the debates does not disprove
a thing.

If it was a device - it may have been run without an earpice & merely been "1 shock if by land, 2 shocks if by sea." It apparently was something beyond bad tailoring or a reptilian spine.

No, it doesn't excuse the American public's mindlessness & delusional state in (perhaps) electing Georgie. They were not prepared to believe anything but what they were conditioned to believe. Or at least the roughly 40-some percentage that was credited to Bush.

[Guns Aximbo]

128. once again

I'm beginning to hate this country. Land of the thieves, home of the cheats.

[genieroze]

129. About that wire thing, if he was wired, whoever was giving him the

feed should have been shot. Is * deaf as well as dumb. Couldn't he hear what was being fed to him? Kerry mopped the floor with him, and there are nuts that say Kerry barely won the debate. Kerry killed * in the debates. A fellow chimp could have beaten * in the debates. The sElection was rigged. Personally I think Kerry kicked * butt in the election but DIEbold killed our democracy.

[NewJeffCT]

148. Kerry killed Bush in the first debate

But, the 2nd and 3rd debates, while clearly Kerry wins, were closer. Both candidates got better with each debate.

Even with Diebold, it was still a close election... and this story could have swung a good number of undecideds our way. I believe there were more of them than many think - unfortunately, Kerry was so demonized by the Republicans, their attacks dogs and the state run media that many ended up thinking Bush was the lesser of 2 evils.

I honestly heard things like, "Well, I disagree with Bush on just about everything, but I voted for him..."

and, "I hate Bush, but he was the lesser of 2 evils, that Kerry... woo boy."

and, that wasn't just from 2 people.

[Dr Fate]

130. We know the media lies for Bush- but DEMS like Kerry need to SAY it.

Its still not to late to make hay out of this- Bush has also lies and said it was a "tailoring mistake"- we need him to clear that up...

DEMS are just as responsible for letting this story die as anyone.

[CONN]

162. Ask the tailor about that mistake...

shouldn't be too difficult to find the tailor and get his professional explanation for the "tailoring mistake"

[Dr Fate]

169. Thats what DEMs should ask Wolf Blitzer.

"Did you interview his tailor? No? Why not? See- this is what I'm talking about-that proves that you media types just report whatever Bush tells you to report with out checking the facts, doesnt it? A TAILORING error!- get real, Wolf."

[janetle]

134. Is he still wired as of Thursday in Montana??

Who knows but he always looks like he at the vary least has bad posture.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=G1&Date=20050131&Category=PHOTOGALLERIES&ArtNo=131001&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=8

[Gman]

143. I'm going to throw up I'm so disgusted

I am physically sick.

[shayes51]

163. Me, too!

[theresistance]

146. What this issue really shows is how the media

is either biased towards the government, or is controlled by it.

[NewJeffCT]

149. fear of the government, too

Even though the explosive story was a huge story - and 100% accurate - the RW attack machine is so vicious and aggressive that the NY Times was on the defensive for several days. They were likely wary of even tougher treatment if they got this story, or even Rathergate treatment.

[Minstrel Boy]

151. "The President's Back" mp3 by Paranoid Larry

Click right and save here.

Sample lyrics:

It was another election I didn't trust
Too much going on behind the scenes
Fixin' whatever they had to adjust
Determined to win by any means

It's no good second guessing yesterday
But I've got a nagging question about the debate

What was the box on the president's back
I thought it was to help him remember his facts
Then I heard a spokesperson on Face to Face
Say he was receiving messages from Outer Space
And I'm glad they finally told it to us straight
But a couple of follow up questions would have been great

Was he getting his orders from the Mother Ship
Step-by-step, what it takes to prevail
Was it there to ensure that he didn't shape-shift
Dropping his flesh and revealing his scales

You might have been wondering how you were going to vote
I wondered what was under his coat

[bobbieinok]

161. zero investigative journalism?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?

'...had called a number of contacts at leading news organizations across the country, and was told that unless the Kerry campaign raised the issue, they couldn’t pursue it.'

where are the people at the 'news media' coming from....grocery stores??????

[Lisa]

164. just call him "The Hunchback of Now-We're-Damned"

Seems there have been a string of suspicions about Bush, that have been ignored due to bias, bad luck, and people not doing their jobs (e.g. screening those Bush National Guard letters).

What really gets me is how we went from the stolen briefing book episode during the 1980 election (Reagan's people used it, didn't they?) -- to that weird 2000 situation with the Bush videotape, where some of Gore's people recused themselves to avoid any allegation of cheating -- to this bulge story. I can't help thinking that if Kerry'd had the bulge, he would have been forced to quit the race and lost his Senate seat.

[Spacejet]

168. This doesn't make sense people

My uncle works security at a corporation, and EVERYONE in security wears an ear piece that is literally so compact the entire thing is just placed in to the ear. NO wires - NOTHING remotely this large.

Here is why I call BS

1. The first debate was so bad it was almost as if he was intentionally going to throw the election.

2. If my uncles corporation can get miniature radio devices WTF would bush be outfitted with something so huge and noticeable for? Your telling me the CIA/NSA/whatever couldn't have spared a miniature radio for the ear? The CIA outfits there people with radios that literally are *entirely* within the ear, and ONLY vibrate the users ear so that no one else can hear or see it. These also work on super high digital Ghz frequencies. It would be immensely hard to jam.

3. Kerry touched his back. If this was what others are claiming WHY didn't he say something?

[sabra]

171. Then what was it then? Just a bad suit?

[Shakespeare]

177. Uh, YEAH. I'll take the word of an alleged and unknown security person...

...over that of a respected JPL scientist who specializes in photo analysis.

Bullshit right back at ya. It's all about the integrity, doncha know...

[0007]

172. This so upsetting that words can't adequately describe the way I feel

[heidiho]

184. Mee, too - this just adds to my depression . . .

I'm so blue these days realizing that Idiot Asshole is going to ruin our country for the next four years.

This could have and would have made a difference.

Instead, as with everything Bush does, it goes away.

[seaofcrisis]

175. Isn't it obvious?

Bush was wired, but he lost all three debates in order to trick us into thinking he wasn't wired. Sort of like taking viagra, but then not having sex - that way, your parter will not suspect that you took viagra.

[harlinchi]

176. Another election theft angle would be if reporters were paid to, for

instance, push the 'Swift Boat Veterans' story. Does anyone know if so-called pundits, during the election, were paid to promote Bush-positive (Bush-positive - I like that! It sounds like bad results from a medical diagnostic test!) pseudo-news? It would seem likely that there were some and if so, that would be a substantial plank in the election fraud structure that's being erected?

[shantipriya]

179. Election

This is really depressing. Are we a banana republic now?When a newspaper like NY Times suppresses a story,where is the hope for the progressives? SAD!!!!!!!!!!!

[paineinthearse]

185. Welcome to DU.....

:hi:

See the latest about the NYT...check out post #180.

[MsMagnificent]

186. Does anyone here subscribe to the NYT newspaper?

Time to refuse them any more money-- cancel your subscription and tell them why!

Until they start actually reporting news instead of backing a psychopathic liar

JUST SAY NO
Again, Not One Dime!