Representative Press Blog

On Sep 25, 2003, Paul Vitello, a Newsday collumnist, wrote an article called "For Bush, Truth Is Buried". Here are the opening paragraphs:

"The Washington Post ran the story on page 18, The New York Times on page 22, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post not at all last Friday, according to Editor & Publisher, the weekly magazine of the newspaper industry.

It was a story contradicting what almost 70 percent of Americans are said to believe about the metaphysics of Sept. 11 - namely that Saddam Hussein was personally involved.

Yet USA Today ran it on page 16.

Debunking this misperception was President George W. Bush himself, one of the people most responsible for planting it in Americans' heads in the first place: On that day, Bush said unequivocally - for the first time - that there was "no evidence" linking Hussein to the attacks."

I think Mr. Vitello thinks he is uncovering some failings of the media. The problem is it is far worse than he describes and his own article contains a falsehood that covers up the media's game in selling the war before it was started. here is my letter to him (I never received a reply)

Dear Mr. Vitello,

You wrote, "On that day, Bush said unequivocally - for the first time - that there was "no evidence" linking Hussein to the attacks."
This is incorrect. Bush made it clear at the White House on 31 January 2003.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030131-23.html

[Adam Boulton, Sky News (London):] One question for you both. Do you believe that there is a link between Saddam Hussein, a direct link, and the men who attacked on September the 11th?
THE PRESIDENT: I can't make that claim.
THE PRIME MINISTER: That answers your question.

Of course it took a foreign reporter to ask the question because American reporters didn't want to ask it. And the question and answer was available to reporters just as it was available to me, US media CHOSE not to report it. Bush replied to the British reporter at the White House, American reporters were there. I think you underestimate how corrupt American media really is. Adam Boulton asked the question before the war, American reporters didn't and they ignored it when it was asked by Adam Boulton right in front of them, so the situation is worse than you describe it in your column.

The corruption is over the top. Take for example that Bush Lied to American about why we were attacked on 9/11. Not one mainstream reporter dared point out that Bush lied about the 9/11 terrorists' motives. Not one. How about you write a column about that? How about you make it clear to your readers that Bush lied when he said we were attacked because we are a "beacon of freedom." How about telling the public the truth, as the FBI testified before the Senate, we were attacked because of specific foreign polices. Bush serves the special interests that don't want the American public to question these policies. Bush robs Americans of the chance to decide for themselves if they wish to continue to be put in harms' way because of these specific foreign polices.

How about writing a column about this big lie? The American people deserve to know that the President lied to them. You can contact me about this. Visit my web page too:Bush lied about 9/11 terrorists' motives You will notice that Tenet goes out of his way to hide the motives:9/11 Intelligence Report. I hope you won't continue to "play the game" and instead report the truth.