Inside the Ring - Texas Guard beat - "My editors don't want any good stuff on Bush."

The Washington Times ^ | October 1, 2004 | Bill Gertz Rowen Scarborough

[NavySEAL F-16]

Texas Guard beat President Bush's tenure as a Texas Air National Guard pilot has become a cottage industry in Texas. A group of former guardsmen, led by Bill Burkett, offers up all sorts of sordid Bush stories to any reporter willing to fly into Texas and root around for a while. Former Bush colleagues in the guard have been interviewed scores of times. They tell some interesting stories about their press contacts. One retired officer quotes a reporter for a major East Coast daily as telling him she wants off the Bush guard beat, but her editors tell her to keep digging. "I tell them there's nothing there," the retired officer quotes the reporter as saying. That officer recalls another reporter saying, "My editors don't want any good stuff on Bush."

[NavySEAL F-16]

I only excerpted this part of the column. But the whole column is a good read.

[A Real Dan Fan... NOT]

It has to be accepted as an axiom that the author of any story that would bring down a sitting president would ne able to write their own ticket.

I would view this approach as less of a dislike of Bush, but more of a trading of patriotism and honor for a sleazy buck.

[NavySEAL F-16]

I would view this approach as less of a dislike of Bush, but more of a trading of patriotism and honor for a sleazy buck.

There is no moral relativism in trying to bring down a sitting President. There is no excuse for lying or fabricating evidence.

[swilhelm73]

I would view this approach as less of a dislike of Bush, but more of a trading of patriotism and honor for a sleazy buck.

I have to disagree.

CBS has spent five years on the TANG story. Certainly if they did find new, *real*, evidence against Bush it would be a financial boon.

But the same could be said for any number of stories the press ran away from during the Clinton years. Does anyone seriously doubt Juanita Broaddrick would be a household name if she claimed Bush, not Clinton, raped her?

Ideology is the guiding light here, not greed, though I would admit that those on the beat probably don't even realize it.

[A Real Dan Fan... NOT]

You misunderstand. I was NOT trying to excuse any acts committed by these morally bankrupt vermin.

I was remembering an old adage.

You know an enemy best when you understand him. It ALWAYS exposes his weakness.

Consider this. Suppose that ANOTHER derogatory story about Bush were to surface. How difficult would it be to get the MSM to accept it?

Not very difficult at all.

A pig will always be a pig. It's in his nature.

By understanding this, you will always be able to defeat the pig.

Just ask old Danny boy.

[stockpirate]

Link to article by a man that served with Bush. Appeared in todays paper.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1233711/posts

[Eastbound]

"Consider this. Suppose that ANOTHER derogatory story about Bush were to surface. How difficult would it be to get the MSM to accept it??

Not too difficult, at one time. But that time has passed. Any media in it's right mind would clear a wide berth for anyone wanting to pass off any info on Bush these days -- particularly when the first perps are still sweating it out on what charges the Texas Rangers and feds are going to book them on.

If any media thought there was even a remote chance they would get a reserved room at the Graybar Hotel they would probably turn down a good story even if it was true.

The public is soured on that strategy anyway, so there would be little to gain in pursuing the NG angle. The horse is dead.

[SpinyNorman]

One retired officer quotes a reporter for a major East Coast daily as telling him she wants off the Bush guard beat, but her editors tell her to keep digging. "I tell them there's nothing there," the retired officer quotes the reporter as saying. That officer recalls another reporter saying, "My editors don't want any good stuff on Bush."

Hmmm, here is a thought: someone wants off of this snipe hunt, and decides that a couple of so-so forgeries passed through Burkett would get them out of Texas.

Motive, means and opportunity. It all fits. Rather was a well known liberal sucker that would jump for bait like this, and had a well known reputation for "skipping over" the necessary groundwork to verify his sources.

[VOA]

the real truth probably is this: they have the good stuff, but will never print it.

[Fixit]

[garbanzo]

Hmmm, here is a thought: someone wants off of this snipe hunt

Conceptually it's more like the search for the Holy Grail. It has literally become a crusade.

[weegee]

DOUBLE PING:

Media Schadenfreude and Media Shenanigans PING

HOUSTON/TEXAS PING