Home > The American Media Has Failed Again

The American Media Has Failed Again

by Open-Publishing - Thursday 21 October 2004
13 comments

The Media is Failing to Ask Bush an Important Question

Something is rotten in the American media.

We have read the apologies and the mea culpae of major news organizations about how they had been too credulous and insufficiently curious and aggressive in reporting on the run-up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and on the initial phases of the war once it began.

Yet here they are doing it again in the case of the mysterious object that President Bush has been wearing on his back, not just during his three recent debates with Sen. John Kerry, but on other occasions as well.

` As a reporter for the respected and well-researched on-line magazine Salon.com, I broke this story following the first debate, and followed up with several pieces that pointed to the likelihood that the president was wearing a radio-linked earpiece during all three debates, quite possibly in order to cheat and receive hints or help with his answers. There has also been subsequent speculation, including from physicians, that the object on the president’s back could be a medical device—perhaps an atrial defibrillator to correct arrhythmia.

The initial story in Salon, which ran with a dramatic and hard-to-deny photograph taken directly from the digital version of the debate available on C-Span’s website, was picked up by the New York Times and the Washington Post, both of which pursued the matter briefly with the White House and the Bush campaign, and ran stories the following day.

Other than that, however, the story was treated basically as a humorous aside by most of the media (it was on Letterman, Leno and the Daily Show), and even the Times and Post quickly lost interest after running into a Bush stonewall.

The White House and Bush campaign brushed off inquiries, including mine, by attributing the story to "The Internet," by raising the canard of "the grassy knoll" and "conspiracy theorists," and by making the ridiculous claim that the bulge, clearly visible in all three debates as an object with a distinctly rectangular and sharp-edged profile, was a "pucker" or a "wrinkle" in a "badly tailored" suit (as if any president, and especially this one, would have a badly tailored suit!).

Now anyone who takes a look at the pictures which I have run with my stories, which include direct downloads from network feeds of the debate and a photo of Bush on his ranch taken from the White House official website, can tell in an instant that this is no "pucker."

So where’s the mainstream media on this?

Clearly, whatever it is on the president’s back under his jacket (or in the case of the ranch photo, his T-shirt), it is of such crucial importance to the president that he wore it for all three debates despite the controversy that its presence caused after debate number one.

Don’t the American people have a right to know what kind of device could be of such vital importance to the leader of the country? If he was cheating at the debates, this would be a matter of great concern to the voters, who thought they were getting to see the two main presidential candidates going toe-to-toe, not toe-to-toes.

If it’s a medical device, voters have a right to know just what the health condition is of the man they are considering for the next four years of the presidency (this is particularly true given that Bush’s vice president, Dick Cheney, is far less popular than the man at the head of the ticket, and moreover, is someone who himself has suffered multiple heart attacks already, making him a less than ideal back-up). Significantly, President Bush has not released his medical records, and reportedly skipped his last annual physical.

My beef is that the press, which drags around behind the candidates during this campaign dutifully recording the carefully scripted utterances of both Bush and Kerry, should be hammering the president about this mystery until he finally gives an honest accounting of just what it is he’s been wearing.

It is an insult to the public that he and his handlers have been ducking this issue and trying to brush it off as an urban legend. But it is a scandal that the major media have allowed him to get away with doing this.
http://www.thiscantbehappening.net/

Forum posts

  • Thank you for saying this!!!

    • LET YOUR VOICES BE HEARD!!!!!!

      FREE FOR EVERYONE TO USE AS A CAMPAIGN POSTER FOR OUR CAUSE...

      http://img33.exs.cx/img33/3244/Bulge_poster.jpg

      If you want a bigger / smaller version, just let me know and I’ll post it.

    • Is Bush wired AND hiding a health problem?

      Sat. October 30: Just released

      http://bulgegate.blogspot.com

      .....

      Don’t know the story? Get up to speed:

      Would you be upset if Bush failed to disclose something critically important to you?

      President Bush has a bulge on his back. It’s been called "Bulgegate" and the "The Bush Bulge" and it has appeared in all of the 2004 Presidential debates. The "bulge" has been called a "badly tailored shirt" which the President claims to have worn in all 3 debates, mind you.

      The "3 bad shirts theory" is to the media, it seems, acceptable: the President has a wardrobe full of bad expensive shirts! We have an obvious bulge, so do we have a transmitter, defibrillator, or something else?

      There are also two wires-like objects found on President Bush. Links are which lead to more information regarding the "bulge". Are the "bulges" and "wires" connected in some way?

      These insights have compelled me to ask in my latest article: could 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?

      Read the entire article here: http://bulgegate.blogspot.com

      ........................................
      BULGEGATE UPDATE — http://bulgegate.blogspot.com
      ........................................

      The "Bulge-gate" news story has gotten a lot of attention, largely being supported by the suspicion President Bush was wearing an earpiece in the debates. To support this theory we have seen a bulge on his back, past evidence of earpiece use, a wire under his tie, and strange speech patterns.

      Bush could be "wired" and also have a health problem because 2 relevant tracks of evidence have consistently appeared. I am going to publish another photo soon to demonstrate that if the Bulge on Bush’s back was a communications device, it was big. If it was something else, we need to know what it is.

      I don’t suspect many believe it is only a health related issue happening here, I certainly don’t. Bush could actually be both "wired" and have had a medical device on, nothing has made this impossible so far, although statistically less likely.

      I wanted to restate the defibrillator case to keep all options alive as long as there is evidence to support it. That increases the chances of important information coming forward.

      .......................................

      Cannonfire (also of note are the articles about potential voter fraud) continues to publish almost daily on the evolution of the Bulge story, noting:

      "The bulge-spotters’ argument may be better served if we keep these pictures as far as possible from the Adobe treatment. Any use of Photoshop, however innocent in intention, allows Bush apologists to howl that evil librul hoaxters concocted the entire controversy."

      This is a good point, and as the evidence builds that sentiment will become reinforced. These techniques need to be used carefully and to enhance evidence, not generate it.

      http://cannonfire.blogspot.com/2004/10/bulge-spotting-new-national-sport.html

      .......................................

      BushWired has updated its extensive archive of links, evidence, comments and news articles. See the latest:

      http://www.bushwired.blogspot.com

      .......................................

      Finally Chris Suellentrop (deputy Washington bureau chief for Slate.com), is interviewed on WNYC’s radio show "On the Media":

      http://www.wnyc.org/onthemedia/transcripts/transcripts_101504_bulge.html

      Excerpts:

      "
      BROOKE GLADSTONE: So where is most of the coverage of this mysterious bulge coming from?

      CHRIS SUELLENTROP: There was speculation about this in 2000, believe it or not....

      ...
      BROOKE GLADSTONE: And what’s your answer?

      CHRIS SUELLENTROP: I think it’s definitely a story to write about [...] I think the press obviously missed the Swiftboat story for a long time [...] I’ve never seen a, a wrinkle in somebody’s clothes that came out as a rectangle. [LAUGHTER] So, you know, I think it’s a real question.

      ...
      BROOKE GLADSTONE: Do you think the internet is helping reporters to get to the bottom of this, or is it having the effect of discrediting the whole story from the outset?

      CHRIS SUELLENTROP: [...] the idea that there was a rectangle on the president’s back became obscured by the fact that all these left-wing bloggers were saying "the president is wired," which was sort of a leap unsupported by the evidence, and so then people immediately dismissed the rectangle and said this whole thing is phony; [...] Now, having said that, without them — would we be talking about it? I don’t know. It’s a good question.

      ...
      BROOKE GLADSTONE: So the White House would like it to go away. Do you think reporters would also like it to go away?

      CHRIS SUELLENTROP: Probably. I mean look, I think reporters want to set the agenda and not have the agenda set for them, and for better or for worse, if they feel like they’ve gotten pushed to this story and they don’t think it’s worthy of covering, it’s the kind of thing they want to go away.

      ...

      BROOKE GLADSTONE: [...] Do you find that a lot of mainstream reporters are using the excuse of covering the coverage to cover the story?

      CHRIS SUELLENTROP: That’s right. Now it’s covering the blogs or covering the buzz on the internet. So you can say well, we’re not giving credence to this story — we’re just covering what people are chatting about on line. And some of the people that have sat out the story have said, look, we don’t want to do that story.
      "

      .....................................

      A few days ago photo enhancements exposes a wire leading from the bulge on the President’s back, Salon.com has also published on the same topic. Read both accounts here:

      http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/10/29/bulge/index_np.html
      http://bulgegate.blogspot.com (test the theory for yourself!)
      ...

      http://www.blueoregon.com/2004/10/bush_busted_by_.html
      Says: "Well, now it appears that one of the most respected scientists in the photo analysis field has determined conclusively: Bush had some sort of artificial device under his coat."
      ...

      Puppetstring has been updated with a comment I grabbed from Colin Green at:

      http://www.journalscape.com/Colin/2004-10-29-11:02

      "
      If we follow this theory through the bulge would be the receiver/relayer, the wire up the right shoulder is to an inductance loop, perhaps in his collar, and it also looks to me that there is a wire traveling down his back, which would correspond to the wire seen behind his tie. This wire that we can see is actually quite prominent by way of its thickness, say 5mm. Such thickness would only normally be used to convey power - from a battery pack somewhere on his person, to the receiver on his back. Also note that the tie wire disappears into the left hand side of Bush’s jacket - the same side as the wire seen own his lower back.
      "

      Go to and scroll to the bottom:

      http://puppetstring.blogspot.com/2004/10/was-there-wire-behind-that-tie_23.html#comments

      ’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

      Something to remember: http://img44.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img44&image=badtailor.jpg
      READ MORE HERE:

      http://www.bushwired.blogspot.com

      http://www.bushbulge.com (send an automatic letter to the media)

      http://www.puppetstring.blogspot.com

      http://cannonfire.blogspot.com

      http://bulgegate.blogspot.com

      http://isbushwired.com
      ...
      http://politicalcommentator.blogspot.com
      ...
      ’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

  • VERY WELL DONE!!! This ’Bulge Mystery" is an important issue on so many levels... the health issue, the possibility of cheating, the lack of interest by the media, the "internets" coverage of this story... Well said! Keep up the good work!

    For anyone wanting further info on "Bulgegate" please visit:
    • THE BUSH WIRED SITE OR THE
    • THE OFFICIAL BUSH WIRED PHOTO GALLERY VIEW THE EVIDENCE!

    (http://www.bushwired.blogspot.com)

    There’s news, photos, video and links to other sites, news, and opinion. FIND OUT MORE! TAKE ACTION!

  • THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!!

    Please don’t let this story die!

    We will do our part. Keep contacting U.S. and World media outlets!

    They are listening. Enough pressure and these so-called journalists will have to do their job!

    HALLOWEEN IDEA:

    Everyone dress as Bush with a bulge this year as a protest. Form groups. Go to media centers dressed with your costumes! It’s time to "TREAT THE TRICKS" with protest!

  • more thoughts on the bulge and media created distractions....

    "Did you see the pictures of the president’s back during the first debate? Did it look to you like there was something under his suit coat? Did it look like a small box?

    Could that have been a communication device, as the president’s opponents have said? Was he being coached during the debate? Or was it a communication device that alerts the president to danger or gives him baseball scores?

    Maybe he was listening to it when he sat in that kindergarten classroom on Sept. 11. That might explain his distraction and the vacant look on his face. You and I would have been stunned.

    But has anyone in the media tried to find out what that bulge really was? You would think that the liberal media the ones that conservatives think control our thoughts would work night and day on that one."

    "That bulge raises, in the most vivid terms, the question of his competence and his knowledge"
    http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/Stories/0,1413,206~11851~2480763,00.html

  • "You’ve seen the pictures of the bulge. Now demand that you get an answer --- before the election!

    Please take the literally 2 minutes required to contact at least 10 sources. The letters are already written for you. All you have to do is press send and this will ensure that the media understands that the American people are looking for answers."

    please go to
    http://www.totalwebsites.com/bushbulge/action.html
    if you would like to help....
    Thanks

    • Since all our other journalists seem to have wilted under the White House’s merciless barrage of wisecracks, it seems that once again the job will be left to Sy Hersh. Too bad there aren’t more like him.

  • Michael Moore dicusses earpiece and ’let me finish’ on his slacker tour

    "At one point," Moore said, "Bush said, `Let me finish,’ even though nobody had interrupted him and he had plenty of time left. What was that? An earpiece? I thought there were voices in his head."

    http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2004/MERC-Oct-21-Thu-2004/25027583.html

  • Dave,
    Great start! Thanks. When did Bush start using it? After his numerous bike accidents or what?

    If Michael Moore is allow us to put his movie on the internet then let’s is see if we can get the video of Bush’s 9/11 Commission "visit" in Rose Garden with the W.H. Press Corp. We need to have it on each of the article we publish. Maybe then we can get more interest. Microsoft Media player is better than the other players, and make the video large as possible.

    Nice work. I emailed Senator Clinton asking Bill Clinton to be a hero and out the earpiece being used by the Presidents.

  • There are only 11 days until the election!

    We must get the media to cover this story!

    Please visit: http://www.bushbulge.com/action.html

    and you can easily contact numerous journalists and news stations (letters are already written).

    It only takes 2 minutes to contact 10 news sources.

    Take Action and Make A Difference!!

  • Thanks for providing a lucid moment in the midst of the (mostly media generated) atmosphere of confusion and near-panic as election day approaches. I knew something was up during the first debate by the way Bush appeared to be listening, how he lost his word in the middle of a sentence, and how his annoyance seemed to be with someone offstage whom he sought with his beady eyes darting furtively about. A hidden mike was the only sensible explanation. I didn’t see his back at all.
    I agree that this story merits attention, but like so many pertinent items, it’s been deliberately buried by the mainstream news media. I think my greatest shock and disillusionment during this agonizing political mess is the failure of the media to perform its sacred duties, and its seeming compliance with the Republican agenda. We KNOW that is Kerry had a similar bulge, it would be headlines.
    I plan to emmigrate if Bush wins. He’s another Hitler.
    Alice

  • I recently listened to the counterspin radio show and here Lindorff talk of the bulge. He reffered to an October 30 article he wrote on the Mother Jones Website. I could not find it but when I did a search I found that a link to the article on the front page has been removed. National security... guess we will never know.