Sunday, June 27, 2004

Say again?

And that is why there was a wave of international censorship after George W Bush appeared at the window of an Irish castle wearing a white undergarment, rather than his traditional shirt and tie.

It may have been bedtime, but the president was wide awake to the potential public relations dangers.

After spotting the camera, he quickly backtracked, and allowed one of his aides to open the bedroom window instead.

...A hastily written memo was delivered to all broadcasters, including the BBC.

"These pictures are the property of the Irish presidency and must not be used for transmission by any service," it said.

Just in case anyone was thinking of ignoring the instruction, it was written in bold, with capital letters and underlined.

It was too late for some broadcasters, who had excitedly rushed to air with the pictures of the blushing Mr Bush.

The authorities were not amused, and apparently made their feelings known to the cameraman involved.

"He'll probably be sent to Guantanamo Bay now," joked a fellow cameraman.
  BBC article

How incredibly fitting. Pictures of Butthead in his underwear - surely they'll leak to the Arab press.

Okay, okay. It was only his undershirt. But the Irish are gonna pay for this insult.

THE Irish media has felt the wrath of President Bush after he was caught on TV in an underwear vest.

Mr Bush complained after pictures of him wearing a vest in his bedroom were broadcast on RTE, Ireland's state-funded TV station, to millions of Irish viewers.

The pictures, also seen by many British viewers on Sky TV, were shot as he pulled the curtains closed at bedtime in Dromoland Castle, after an EU summit.

Mr Bush immediately ordered a ban on the pictures and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has forbidden all other TV stations to use them, claiming as conference host, he owned the copyright.

The cameraman was thrown out of the summit.

The row, immediately dubbed Vest Wing, was the third complaint by Mr Bush in two days. He accused RTE of treating him with disrespect in a pre-summit interview and ordered wife Laura to cancel a planned interview with the network as punishment.
  Herald Sun article


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