Update: Brent Bozell, Serial Liar

Lies about Al Gore are packaged in the handy economy size. Plus: A campaign ad problem, a bad lieutenant and hot lesbian sex with Lynne Cheney.

By Terry Krepel
Posted 10/29/2000

Brent Bozell just can't help himself.

His Oct. 25 column carries a heavily padded list of 50 alleged "lies, errors, and scandals" linked to Al Gore. Most of which, of course, have been thoroughly debunked.

Let's look over some of these golden oldies: Internet? Check. The "slumlord" case? Check. Buddhist temple? Check. Union lullaby? Check. (The Love Canal lie, however, is missing; does this mean Bozell has seen the light on this issue?)

And, of course, Bozell repeats the "Love Story" lie for the third time in three weeks. There it is, No. 39: Tipper and I were the inspiration for Love Story. Which he follows with No. 40: Tipper wasn’t, but the error was made by the Nashville Tennessean.

Whoa! Bozell seems to think Gore was disappointed that the Tennessean story Gore mentioned that started this smear in the first place was incorrect. Bozell just compounded his lie by saying Gore was blaming it on a newspaper. It does appear, however, that Bozell is at last willing to admit the truth that Erich Segal did indeed say that Gore was one of the inspirations for the lead male character in "Love Story."

On the other hand, Bozell spreads another lie in No. 18: Presidents guilty of perjury are among our nation’s greatest presidents. No court or judge, of course, has found President Clinton guilty of perjury.

Bozell needs to check out a site like Gore In Context, a homegrown site that has documented the truth about the words he only wants to distort. Unfortunately, he seems averse to telling the truth about Democrats.

Bozell should know better. But when your main motivation is hatred of those whose political views differ from your own, why let the truth stand in your way?

NewsMax, which normally has no problem citing the supermarket tabloids as a credible source for stories on its site, overlooked the Oct. 24 edition of the Globe -- the paper from which NewsMax pulled the Clinton black-love-child story.

BUSH TOO DRUNK TO FLY, the headline in the upper left corner of the cover blares. The story inside starts out: "Shocking medical reports documenting that George W. Bush was often "too drunk to fly" when he was in the Texas Air National Guard are set to be released in an effort to destroy his presidential hopes, a source confides. The young Lieutenant was a big drinker and if he had been suddenly called to duty, he would not have been allowed in the cockpit, it is claimed."

The source claims that Bush and a buddy "regularly took off down to Mexico, spending days drinking tequila and chasing local girls. When they got back on base, they were too blasted to fly when they arrived and still unfit the following day."

(The Globe does not have a website, but a scan of the article is available here.)

Interestingly, the same issue of the Globe also notes that in 1981, Lynne Cheney -- wife of Bush's running mate who can't even say in public that her daughter is a lesbian -- wrote "a steamy novel about the Old West, filled with rape, hookers and lesbian sex!"

NewsMax has other things on its mind, it seems, such as potential violations of campaign laws.

Recent near-violations, if not actual violations, of campaign law weren't enough for NewsMax, apparently. On Oct. 28, NewsMax sent the members of its e-mail list a "Special Free Offer from Republican National Committee."

"The Republican National Committee wants you to help ensure Republican success in the upcoming elections by becoming an eChampion," the e-mail reads, which contains none of the regular NewsMax content. "As we draw closer to Election Day it is our duty, as United States citizens and voters, to be fully informed on the issues, and to make sure that our friends and families are informed as well. Once you've registered as an eChampion, you will receive fact-filled e-mails twice a week on the upcoming election, the Republican Party's stand on issues, etc. Your unique role as an eChampion is to send these e-mails on to AS MANY friends, neighbors and family members as possible." A link takes readers to a NewsMax page to sign up for this mailing list, which shares the page with a checklist of other commercial mailing lists one can join.

Problem is, political ads such as this one need to be designated as political ads. Neither the page nor the e-mail does this.

NewsMax seems to like living dangerously. They also seem to like living without journalistic credibility.