[Nonstatist]

even if it was true, it wouldn't have made a difference in the 2004 election.

I'm not sure about that. That was how the MSM downed Bush Sr's 1992 run(Weinberger's bogus conviction) and almost Bush Jr in 2000 (DUI thing amajig). Thats how these people work and its an alarmingly efficient method of kicking 3 or 4 percentage points off an election result... The power of the (old) media!

[boop]

"This administration was hammering people for much less controversial stuff,” says a veteran TV news producer. “When they were at the height of their power, post-9/11, they would call about anything, yell about anything, pressure people about anything.”"

The notion that the MSM would sit on a story damaging to Bush, or bow to pressure by republicans is absurd.