5. RUPERT'S 'SUN' BAGS A BUSH EXCLUSIVE AMID THE PAGE THREE GIRLS
Newspapers around the world that have been wondering what they have to do to score an exclusive interview with media-shy George W. Bush. But Dubya seemed to answer that question over the weekend - you just need to be owned by Rupert Murdoch.
Rupert's UK cashcow, The Sun, scored an exclusive interview with George Dubya ahead of his trip to the UK, in which he assured the British public that their troops have not died in vain as they have made the world a safer place.
The full article is here: "Exclusive - Bush: Your troops did not die in vain" http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2003531173,00.html
White House press secretary, Scott McClellan, claimed that the President chose to speak to The Sun simply because it has a large readership, but Bush aides have also said it was done on the recommendation of Tony Blair, who is obviously trying to maintain the Sun King's patronage for the up-coming general elections
And the US press pack is not impressed. On Saturday, The Washington Post fumed that while Dubya has given no solo interviews to it, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal or dozens of other reputable publication in the last year, he has granted an exclusive interview to "a British tabloid that features daily photographs of nude women and articles akin to those found in our own National Enquirer".
Though they admit that The Sun is "far from the raunchiest of tabloids on fetid Fleet Street". And McClellan joked "You should've seen the ones we declined."
The Post reports that the "word on Fleet Street is it's an obvious payoff to the Sun's owner, Rupert Murdoch, the conservative publisher behind many Bush-friendly news outlets such as Fox News. Officials at the White House acknowledge that it was a reward to the Sun for its unstinting support of the United States regarding the war in Iraq."
The fact that the decision is so out of character for the born again Christian who promised to restore dignity to the White House when he came to power, makes it all the more obvious.
Read The Washington Post's article here: "Prez in Topless Tabloid" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43228-2003Nov14.html
And check out this report from The Observer on the extraordinary security demands made by Bush's entourage, including diplomatic immunity for American snipers, ahead of his UK visit: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1086397,00.html
We're similar security agreed to when Bush visit Australia, maybe if we had a
