Smoke due to the CBS memos now obscures the fire struggling to take under Mr. Bush. Three undeniably mainstream press outlets -
Boston Globe,
US News and
CBS-- have now concluded that Mr Bush did not fulfill his commitment to serve in the Texas Air National Guard. These three establishment outlets now contradict the President's claim that he "put in his time". While web denizens have known of Mr. Bush's
inadequate service for months, this new mainstreaming of the story is welcome news.
Unfortunately the rest of the mainstream press has put hands over eyes and thumbs in ears. Particularly noted is the absence of the New York Times -- even though the Boston Globe is owned by the New York Times Corp. It's downright bizarre to have some of the mainstream press concluding Mr. Bush lied about his military service while at the same time other key national outlets act as if the story merits no coverage.
The silence of our uber press (WP, NYT, WSJ, ABC, NBC, CNN, PBS) says that politicians lying about personal history is OK provided the uber press gatekeepers think the lying isn't about anything too important. While there are no doubt stories for which press paternalism legitimately protects the political system from destructive mud-slinging; this story is not one of them. Mr. Bush has had plenty of opportunities to speak honestly about his service and instead has chosen to hide behind the crafted presentations of his media handlers. Mr. Bush and his handlers have gone to great lengths to obscure public knowledge of his service. Even setting aside the
charges by Bill Burkett regarding TXANG record-tampering, we know Bush handlers have lied in Mr. Bush's biography, offered a variety of
false explanations for his avoiding a required physical, peddled the deceptive
Lloyd Memo to the press and repeatedly released additional official records after claiming all had been previously released. Mr. Bush himself
lied to Tim Russert in the Oval office when he claimed he fulfilled his service obligation. Mr. Bush's use of the White House, its staff and the public purse to attempt a full-fledged white-washing of his military service ought to refocus the press on the President's abuse of his office and power. The press's paternalistic attitude with respect to Mr. Bush's service looks more and more like a self-deluding cover story for cowardliness. The Bush administration is powerful and the large media players have lots to lose from getting on the wrong side of the party in power.
The treatment of Mr. Bush's service record demonstrates what happens when core press institutions grant politicians a limited pass on honesty. The small lies set the ground rules. Mr. Bush's penchant for dishonest policymaking has no doubt been emboldened by his success in taking office with an airbrushed personal history. Without a docile and compliant press, Mr. Bush's reckless charge into Iraq might well have been forestalled. A healthy democracy requires a press willing to challenge politicians when they mislead constituents. Aside from Dan Rather, most big-time press outlets are sprinting away from speaking the truth about Bush's service because they are afraid to face down the Bushes.
Tell Dan Rather to keep fighting:
CBS News - Dan Rather, Lead Anchor; Managing Editor, Evening News with Dan Rather evening@cbsnews.com (Attn: Dan Rather) Phone: (212) 975-3691; Fax: (212) 975-1893; Address: 524 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019-2902
And send these cowards an email and tell them to get a spine:
executive-editor@nytimes.com
managing-editor@nytimes.com
washington@nytimes.com
Michael Dobbs: dobbsm@washpost.com
newseditors@wsj.com
onlinenewshour@newshour.org
nightly@nbc.com
ABC News (and ABC Radio News) - Ann Compton, White House Correspondent anncompton@abcnews.com Phone: (202) 222-7287; Fax: (202) 222-7682; Address: 1717 DeSales St NW, Washington, DC 20036
ABC News - Peter Jennings, Anchor & Senior Editor, World News Tonight with Peter Jennings peter.jennings@abc.com Phone: (212) 456-4025; Fax: (212) 456-2795; Address: 47 W 66th St, New York, NY 10023-6201
ABC News - Ted Koppel, Anchor & Managing Editor, Nightline ted.koppel@abc.com Phone: (202) 222-7364; Fax: (202) 222-7976; Address: 1717 DeSales St NW, Washington, DC 20036
CNN News - Wolf Blitzer, Anchor, Wolf Blitzer Reports wolf@cnn.com Phone: (202) 898-7622; Fax: (202) 898-7565; Address: 820 1st St NE, Washington, DC 20002
CNN News - Aaron Brown, Anchor; Managing Editor, NewsNight with Aaron Brown aaron.brown@turner.com Phone: (212) 714-7800; Fax: (212) 714-7935; Address: 5 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001
CNN News - Judy Woodruff, Anchor, Inside Politics with Judy Woodruff deirdre.walsh@turner.com Phone: (202) 898-7915; Fax: (202) 515-2853; Address: 820 1st St NE, Washington, DC 20002