llegations that Texas Gov. George W. Bush was "involved" with an abortion in the 1970s have percolated throughout internet news groups and web sites in recent days, but have yet to hit mainstream media. Curiously, the claims which surfaced last week, come amidst charges that Bush and congressional Republicans are doing all they can to downplay the contentious issue of abortion rights, a policy stance which could sway undecided voted in time for the November election. As AANEWS reports this story, there are also allegations that key web pages related to the possible Bush bombshell, including an interview on CNN, have disappeared.

   At the center of the controversy is Larry Flynt, who depending on one's view is a porn king and publicity bottom feeder, or a modern day Tom Paine who happens to head an adult entertainment publishing empire. Flynt is no stranger to political controversy; he was the subject of a popular movie starring Woody Harrelson, and last year, he had Washington pols and insiders sweating when he published a dirty laundry list of beltway scandals, peccadilloes and improprieties involving some of the most powerful politicians on capitol hill. Many were GOP stalwarts of the Christian Coalition, who in public preached a stern religious morality that condemned gays, abortion, premarital sex and anything else which strayed from Pat Robertson's list of theologically correct behaviors. In private, though, they turned out to be a pack of fornicators, adulterers and less-than-honorable men -- and women like Rep. Helen Chenoweth.

   Rep. Bob Barr, for instance, showed up in Flynt's Report as asking his wife-secretary to arrange lunch dates with his mistress, Heri Dobbins, who became the next Mrs. Barr. Barr drives his wife to an abortion clinic, picks up the tab, all while maintaining the facade as a pro-life poseur in the Congressional well. The divorce transcripts could have taught Jimmy Hoffa lessons on avoiding questions; Salon noted that Barr and Dobbins responded to queries over their affair during a bloody divorce proceeding "by repeating 'I decline to answer' over and over like a pair of autistic parrots..."

   Now, Flynt says he has the goods on George W. Bush. Dubya was working on his dad's campaign when the deed supposedly took place in Houston in 1970. It would be an embarrassing -- and perhaps politically explosive -- revelation were it true, and the current Bush campaign is likely to have an interest in making sure that the allegations do not reach mainstream media. Here's how we track the story...

   ¶   On Thursday, October 19, Washington, D.C. television station WJLA carries an "I-Team" investigative story produced by Suleiman Wali and reporter Del Walters. It noted that the station's news bureau "has learned that -- like him or not -- pornographic publisher Larry Flynt is preparing to once again enter Washington's political fray. You may recall two years ago Flynt placed an ad in the Washington Post promising to pay one million dollars for dirt on members of congress ... This time, Flynt says he's set his sights on the two major presidential candidates..."

   Halfway into the interview, Flynt discussed the Bob Barr revelations, then is asked by Walters: "Are you currently seeking information or do you have information on him (G.W. Bush)?"

   Flynt responds: "Yes we do ... It depresses me to see this nation get so excited about somebody like him. We know a lot about Bush, some may be coming out before the election, but I don't know."

   ¶    On Friday, October 20, Flynt appears as a guest on CNN's popular "Crossfire" program. He discusses the investigation into Washington solons, and then turns the discussion to the year 2000 campaign and George W. Bush.

   At this point, the story seems to go down a Winston Smith memory hole. Flynt remarks:

"Well, during the impeachment debacle, we did an investigation which resulted in the resignation of Bob Livingston and others and we have continued this investigation and for eight months we've been looking into George W. Bush's background. And we've found out in the early 1970s he was involved in an abortion in Texas, and I just think that it's sad that the mainstream media, who's (sic) aware of this story, won't ask him that question ... We've got all kinds of proof on this issue... If the abortion issue is true then that puts him lower on the morality scale than Bill Clinton."

   Crossfire host Bob Novak replied: "Mr. Flynt, you said if it's true and you have no proof of that. I gather you are very strong..."

    Flynt interrupts: "The hell we don't have proof!"

   Novak then cuts to a commercial, and following that wraps the show up without ever returning to the Flynt accusations.

   ¶    Another tantalizing piece of evidence came after Crossfire, though, during an on-line chat session. When asked where and when he would publish the Bush abortion story, Flynt replied:

"When I said that we had proof, I am referring to knowing who the girl was, knowing who the doctor was that performed the abortion, evidence from girlfriends of hers at the time, who knew about the romance and the subsequent abortion. The young lady does not want to go public, and without her willingness, we don't feel that we're on solid enough legal ground to go with the story, because she would say it never happened... One of the things that interested us was that this abortion took place before Roe v. Wade in 1970, which made it a crime at the time. I'd just like the national media to ask him (Bush) if abortion is okay for him and his family, but not for the rest of America..."

   ¶    On or about Tuesday, October 24, Flynt appears on the Bernie Ward program on radio KGO-AM in San Francisco. He repeats the abortion story involving George W. Bush, and claims that he has affidavits from four witnesses -- allegedly contradicting an earlier report from the BBC that Flynt was basing the story on one person.

   ¶    At this time, the story is also percolating on the internet, thanks in part to a an expose on bushwatch.com. The site says that an unidentified "Bush watcher" says that BBC will run with the new version of the story, as will the London Times.

   ¶    Internet journalist Matt Drudge jumps into the Bush-abortion imbroglio with his spin on the Flynt allegations. Drudge, of course, has had his credibility problems, but yesterday morning (Thursday, Oct. 26, 2000 11:12 ET) led at the top of his website --- www.drudgereport.com -- with a story marked "Exclusive." It declared:

"Friends and family of a woman at the center of Larry Flynt's investigation into Republican presidential hopeful George W. Bush blasted the porn king for spreading abortion allegations and challenged Flynt to 'put up or shut up,' the DRUDGE REPORT can reveal."

   For a story which had been characterized by unidentified accusers, the Drudge counter was vexing. An anonymous "close friend of the Texas woman" told Drudge, "Mr. Flynt better start naming names!"

   The woman reportedly claimed that she had never slept with George W. Bush, and her husband -- "a government employee in law enforcement" -- was purportedly mulling legal action.

   "Investigators working for Flynt launched their investigation after the woman's college roommate came forward and offered to sell information that dated back thirty years," said Drudge.

   The Flynt-Bush story may be all so much news bottom-feeding were it not for several bizarre facts.

   One involves the mysterious case of the missing transcripts. It seems that the episode of "Crossfire" with Larry Flynt's allegations has been sucked down the electronic memory hole. As of last Sunday evening, October 22, select portions of Flynt's remarks on the official, CNN-Crossfire website had been mysteriously edited out of existence. The transcript at http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0010/20/cf.html was flushed.

   The American Politics Journal was apparently first to notice the missing Flynt transcript, and posted a notice to that effect on its own web site at http://www.american-politics.com. APJ did obtain a full copy of the original discussion of "Crossfire," though. "Note the irony of Bob Novak's comment concerning CNN never censoring its guest ... also, please note that the source for the transcript which followers is not CNN, but our own indefatigable staffer Liz Callahan, who transcribed the exchange from a videotape of the original live CNN broadcast as seen in near-real time on Time Warner Cable in Manhattan..."

   Equally disturbing is the CNN website, usually a reputable source for political news. Programs carried on the network are available through the "Transcripts" directory. A visit to http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/cf.html, though, shows a gap between October 19, 2000 ("Is the Economy the Biggest Issue in Election 2000?") and October 23, 2000 ("Why isn't President Clinton Campaigning With Al Gore?")

   The Flynt-"Crossfire" appearance is also absent from a list of transcripted programs dated October 20, 2000 itemized at http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/2000.10.20.html. Everything from the "Moneyline News Hour" to "Larry King Live ("Elizabeth Hurley Talks About Playing the Devil in 'Bedazzled' ...) to "Burden of Proof" and "Talk Back Live" are included, though.

   The case of the missing Flynt interview may involve unfounded allegations and bad record keeping at CNN, or it could be a potential bomb ready to explode in the face of the Bush campaign as the election race heads down to the wire. Bush's lead in the polls is tenuous, given the high number of undecided voters; and while it might be coincidence, it appears that abortion rights, and the make-up of the next U.S. Supreme Court, could prove to be a litmus test as voters prepare to cast their ballots. Is the flap of George W. Bush's possible hypocrisy on this issue related?

   ¶    Earlier this week, congressional Republicans agreed to remove restrictions on a $14.9 billion appropriation spending bill preventing private groups receiving federal funds from spending money to provide abortions or promote abortion rights in foreign countries. It was a strange retreat for GOP and other anti-choice crusaders, who in the past have held up U.N. dues and threatened to derail foreign aid packages over the contentious issue of family planning in the Third World.

   The New York Times noted that the move was an effort "to avoid a pre-election confrontation with President Clinton," who had vowed to veto the measure if the restrictions on family planning groups were included.

   "By agreeing to Tuesday's action," noted the Times, "the negotiators now leave it up to the next president to decide, by executive order, whether to continue the policy of limiting the abortion-related activities of family planning groups that operate in foreign lands."

   ¶    "The one women's issue that is never mentioned on the 'W. Stands for Women' tour is abortion," declared Kate Michelman of the National Abortion Rights Action League in a Tuesday, October 24 press release. "Barbara and Laura Bush don't bring it up and the colorful 12-page booklet accompanying their campaign doesn't use the word 'abortion' once."

   Indeed, as the Bush-Gore contest comes down to the wire, GOP strategists are working hard to spin the Texas governor's stance on abortion, or duck the issue altogether. One reason may be a barrage of special interest media spots from groups like Planned Parenthood, which this month has aired $7 million in ads about Bush's opposition to abortion rights.

   Today, the abortion issue received more exposure with a piece in the New York Times which quoted Ms. Michelman saying that many voters simply do not believe that Bush, if elected, would try to end most legalized abortion. On the other side of the issue was Carol Tobias, political director for the National Right to Life Committee. She observed, "I think the proponents of abortion are frustrated because the American public will vote for him with his pro-life position, and they don't know how to stop that."

   Noting Bush's fear of the abortion issue, the Times noted: "He has carefully avoided saying he would appoint only Supreme Court justices who would vote against the constitutional right to abortion. But he has also said he would look for 'strict constructionists' and has cited two opponents of abortion rights, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, as the Supreme Court justices he admire most. He acknowledged that 'good people can disagree' on abortion, but argues that he wants to create a 'culture of life.'"

   "His critics say Mr. Bush has done a masterful job of neutralizing, if not burying, an issue that has tormented past Republican nominees, who are often torn between the party's antiabortion base and independent suburban voters who decide elections. Abortion rights groups content that many voters, including many independent and Republican women who support abortion rights, are either unaware of Mr. Bush's stand or do not believe he would pursue it."

   David J. Garrow, a historian at Emory University, also acknowledged Bush's skill in obfuscating his hard-line, anti-choice credentials.

   "Abortion rights groups should not be surprised in the slightest that their voters do not seemed frightened," he told the Times, "because Governor Bush has consistently, for many months now, worked very hard to seem unfrightening to pro-choice voters."

   ¶    Part of that campaign has been keeping the GOP's evangelical-fundamentalist wing under wraps. Organizations linked to religious right firebrands such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson are conspicuously mum or low-key on the abortion issue, instead concentrating on issues like religious rights in foreign countries, internet pornography, or public aid to church-operated social services. Gone from the news wires are the incessant statements against abortion that have characterized previous election races.

   Falwell, for instance, is mentioned in wire service reports, but only in connections with stories like Paul Jones deciding to strip for the December issue of Penthouse Magazine. She blames former Falwell associate John Whitehead of the Rutherford Institute for talking her out of accepting a $700,000 settlement from President Clinton in her sexual harassment case, thus presumably compelling her to disrobe for cash despite earlier promises that she would not.

   Falwell is also mentioned in connection with Bush in an October 17 dispatch from PR Newswire -- but this involves a letter the GOP presidential hopeful wrote in connection with internet filtering. Equally revealing is the fact that a three-page Falwell essay on the Worldnetdaily.com site, "Evangelicals Energized As Election Nears," does not mention the abortion issue once.

   Robertson and his Christian Coalition are prepared to flood the nation's churches with an estimated 50 million voters guides that will, of course, list Bush as the antiabortion candidate. Abortion remains low key at Robertson's web sites, though, and in his public statements. Instead, visitors to his Christian Broadcasting Network are offered health food advice and warning against the evils of Halloween.

   ¶    Some hard-core, anti-choice groups are promoting Bush, of course, and Roman Catholic Bishops continue to pound away at the issue in pulpit homilies. Last Sunday, the four Catholic Bishops of Massachusetts warned their flock against voting for candidates who support abortion rights, noted the Boston Globe newspaper.

   "Support and promotion of abortion by any candidate is always wrong and can never be justified," read the statement penned by the bishops and Cardinal Bernard F. Law of Boston. "We will never cease to denounce abortion and euthanasia and teach all Catholics that to support these positions is to support death over life..."

   Still, abortion remains a volatile issue, especially among women. Men are leading heavily to the Bush candidacy, but focus groups and polls still show females tending to vote for Mr. Gore. The abortion issue could widen that gap, as could revelations that George W. Bush may have covered up a deed which he now condemns.    The Flynt revelations may, like the Drudge Report response, all be a matter of unverified allegations made by questionable sources. It is disturbing, though, that this story has circled a media memory hole, complete with missing news reports and internet web site pages. What gives? Maybe only George W. Bush knows for sure...

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