-Caveat Lector- FCC: TV Station Had To Run Bush Ad MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - New Hampshire's biggest television news station had no choice about running an ad by a Florida lawyer that says Texas Gov. George W. Bush used cocaine and suffered from ``alcohol abuse,'' even if the allegations are false, federal officials said Tuesday. Andy Martin, a West Palm Beach lawyer and perennial candidate for various political offices, is running the ad on WMUR-TV, an ABC affiliate that has aired presidential debates. The Bush campaign said it had not asked WMUR to stop running the ad. Spokesman Ari Fleischer said the station would have to decide that on its own. Fleischer said: ``These things are as mean-spirited as they are inaccurate.'' But WMUR spokeswoman Julie Campasano said the station never considered withholding the ad. ``It wasn't even an issue. The law is the law,'' she said. ``The FCC says clearly, a legally qualified candidate can say whatever they want to say in their message, and we as a station have no authority, permission or right to censor or otherwise edit any of the spots.'' A Federal Communications Commission official said Tuesday the station has no choice but to accept the ad if it is paid for by a qualified candidate for federal office and the candidate appears in the ad. Courts have ruled that broadcasters cannot be held liable for running false ads, he said. Bush has refused to answer some questions about his past, saying only that he has not used illegal drugs since 1975. No evidence has surfaced that he ever used cocaine. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
