I am in the old Manhattan federal courtroom 110 on this day in 1985, and people who were about to be sworn in as citizens sat in excitement in spectators rows. Through a door used by judges came Rupert Murdoch, his wife and three children. They were ushered into the jury box, where they stood and Rupert Murdoch raised his right hand and swore allegiance to his new country, the United States of America. Forget Australia. He only spent his life there. Only a few months ago, Murdoch was bowing his head to Queen Elizabeth in the office of The Times of London, which was a great visit for her, as long as they didn't make her sit down and read something.In federal court here, Murdoch's wife and three children stood alongside him. They neither raised their hands nor uttered a syllable.
As an American citizen, Murdoch now was able to own television stations, along with his New York Post newspaper.
By not taking an oath, his wife and children remained citizens of the United Kingdom and thus kept paws on television stations in Australia, New Zealand, London, Murdoch has a presence on every continent.His swearing in is a symbol of Murdoch's throbbing patriotism. The other night, it was only natural for him to order his New York Post newspaper to run a wildly inaccurate, no - dead wrong - front page saying that Dick Gephardt was the vice presidential choice for John Kerry. Somebody told Murdoch that he could look smart with Gephardt. He then phoned his New York Post newspaper and told his paper to run the wrong story. He never checked anything. He was the boss. Run it.
That he was spreading great falsehood into the serious politics of America was no reason for caution. He never thought the country was that important to begin with. It is an antenna. So if you're taking a stupid shot with this Gephardt rumor, what difference does it make? Who gets hurt? There's always tomorrow, mate.
Several vice presidents have wound up as president. Among them are: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Chester Arthur - he was sworn in on the second floor of a building on Lexington Avenue - Harry S. Truman, Richard Nixon, Lyndon Baines Johnson, and Gerald Ford. I make Ford the most underrated president we have had. "The president has appeared to stop breathing. Does that mean we should inform the vice president?"
On the morning the New York Post newspaper came out with the wrong vice presidential candidate on the front page, Murdoch's Fox television news out of Washington was not about John Edwards being named to run for vice president of the United States. Instead, a breathless Fox News woman said that the Bush campaign was readying a great slam-bang-boom! television commercial with Sen. John McCain. Supposedly, John Kerry asked McCain to run with him and McCain turned it down. He said he was loyal to George Bush. The Bush campaign was using this in an ad to destroy Edwards and Kerry. Most of the country didn't know who Edwards was. So what? Shoot him before he gets in the room. The woman announcer said they are putting the commercial together right now and are just about ready to let it go. Then a male announcer came on and said, in passing, that a newspaper had printed the wrong candidate on the front page. He did not name the New York Post newspaper.
That Edwards was news was irrelevant. Bush has a commercial ready to fire!
It was the usual for Murdoch. In a political campaign, his right-wing newspapers become campaign pamphlets and his television becomes a right-wing campaign film.
A letter from the former editor of the Des Moines Register, whose favor was sought over the years by so many running in Iowa caucuses, said that Vice President Cheney ought to get out. The letter from a retired newsman was given surprising space. You had to suspect there was a movement behind it.
Then Al D'Amato of New York started going around saying that McCain should replace Cheney on the ballot. If I were a Democrat, I sure wouldn't want this. For Cheney runs under a great banner:
HONESTY IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR EXPERIENCE
At a press conference in North Carolina, Bush was asked why he thought Cheney's experience was better than Edwards' and his answer was another of his one-astounding one liners: Cheney can be president. That's it.
For war, "Bring 'em on." For politics, Cheney can be president.
As for the war line, the other side sure did come on. There are 12 dead servicemen in the last five days and Bush and Cheney don't deign to notice them.
As for the politics, Cheney can be president if something happens to Bush. And if Cheney clutches his chest and retires from the race, Murdoch this time has a second chance to show he cares about his country enough to get the replacement's name right.
