Bush interviewer had bombshells he withheld

From houstonpress.com
Originally published by Houston Press Nov 18, 2004
©2004 New Times, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chasing Its Tale
The Chron gets scooped on Bush -- by one of its own
BY MICHAEL SERAZIO

Between the end of the Republican National Convention and Election Day, the Houston Chronicle spent roughly 50,000 words on President George W. Bush and his campaign for re-election. Perhaps most impressive, one of its own columnists had major news to break on the race.

He just didn't, umm, break it to the Chronicle.
<snip>

Of particular interest to Baker, Herskowitz had been tapped in 1999 to help write Bush's autobiography, later titled A Charge to Keep, and he met extensively at the time with the then-governor of Texas and presidential hopeful. Herskowitz was, however, ultimately replaced on the project by former Bush communications director Karen Hughes.

"I didn't know what he was going to tell me," says Baker. "Though I certainly knew he'd been pulled off the book and I thought he might have some interesting things to say about that." Roughly one month ago, Baker says, they met for lunch in Houston and he later tape-recorded a second interview by phone. The gems that emerged from their conversations had Baker believing that he'd stumbled upon a "self-scoop" -- one that might even affect the election.

According to Baker's report, Herskowitz said that Bush felt frustrated with his image as an "underachiever" compared to his father, that he had "failed" to complete his National Guard requirement during the Vietnam War and that his private business efforts had been "floundering."

Perhaps most consequential: Herskowitz said that Bush had Iraq on his "to do" list as early as 1999. " said, 'If I have a chance to invade…if I had that much capital, I'm not going to waste it,' " Baker writes, adding later that the ellipses were for a pause and not words omitted.

MORE: http://www.houston-press.com/issues/2004-11-18/news/news_print.html#

The ellipses here were for a pause and not for words omitted.

Chronicle.

Not that it would have helped with that pesky voting fraud thingie.

Garth Jowett, a communication professor at the University of Houston, speculates that while Rather's missteps may have heightened caution on the part of media gatekeepers, Baker's timing alone may have sealed his story's cyberspace fate.

"There is a kind of concern in publishing anything in the last ten days of an election," says Jowett. "Most of the media is very reluctant to go with an October surprise."

Baker argues: "We're seeing a whole new pattern where media outlets are becoming increasingly irrelevant as their excessive caution -- which often favors the establishment -- opens up opportunities for alternative papers and online media." One question does arise, of course, and that's why Herskowitz himself sat on the material.

"He didn't sit on it," protests Baker. "He's not a political journalist. He ghostwrites biographies. There was nothing to sit on. He doesn't write these kinds of things." Baker says that after interviewing Herskowitz, he left several more phone messages asking him for any other notes he might have.

UH, right.

No surprise that they weren't too interested in getting the facts out on Bush*.

Just out of the blue, something like "and if Saddam does anything" or "if Saddam doesn't behave"--I can't remember the exact words but, the question was not about Iraq or Saddam and hadn't been subject matter at all.

I knew then that we'd be in a war fairly soon. Bush really is way too stupid for the puppet masters to be using him as a frontman. That is why I think they should be getting caught--except there's a small problem with complicit democrats.