"Conspire" is a loaded word.
Once way influence can happen is the smart politician will make sure publishers' interests are aligned with his own. The unscrupulous politician (redundant term) will lie to the constituents about facts and motives. I've been in meetings with Congressmen and publishers where deals were discussed (you scratch my back I'll scratch yours - you need tax legislation, I need good press), and that's in spite of the fact I was an independent! They didn't care, it was SOP, and the publisher controls the public's knowledge in the community to a great extent.
The more dramatic suppression is by one of the hundreds of intel operatives in journalist and editorial positions, as disclosed as far back as the 1975 Church Committee when the director of the CIA W.Colby admitted "we have 400 people in top positions of the news media". That allows the muscle to suppress stories that have immediate "national security" interests... unfortunately, the definition of that term is different for insiders with something to hide or gain than for the rest of Americans who, after all, pay for everything.
As far as Bush goes, references to his involvement with intel goes back to pre-Casey days, and things like the Nixon tapes where besides discussing "the Bay of Pigs thing" Tricky Dick says if some real muscle is needed "ask George, he'll do anything for us".
This isn't just about Bush, tho', it's the geopolitical Nintendo being played for American private interests, who of course like to say it's in the interests of all Americans... as long as they avoid full disclosure of the facts to the public.
Bush just happens to be the one on top of a huge stinking pile of crap, the secretive backroom operators that don't want Americans to know what they're up to, so destroy documents and avoid news conferences and investigations. |
