Wired Bush

So remember those allegations back during the debates that Bush was wearing a listening device? Well, some reporters did some actual investigating, and confirmed that Bush was, indeed, cheating (the GOP's stringent list of conditions for the debates included an explicit prohibition of the use of any electronic devices).



Why didn't we hear about it? Because the New York Times killed the story. And why did it do that? Because the editors were afraid that revealing that Bush was an incompetent cheat before the election might, well, affect the election. If that sounds like a reasonable decision, just ask yourself one question: if the allegations, and the proof, had concerned Kerry rather than Bush, would we have heard about it, and would that have been fair? Of course we would, and of course it would. But Bushco expect to be treated by a different set of rules.



As David Neiwert at Orcinus points out, the Times' behavior amounts to "a gross dereliction of its Fourth Estate role as a public watchdog." As if that were anything new from our puppet press. (See Neiwert's coverage for all the pertinent links.)