WurfWhile

From the New York Times story, “Court Rebuffs F.C.C. on Fines for Indecency,”

“If President Bush and Vice President Cheney can blurt out vulgar language, then the government cannot punish broadcast television stations for broadcasting the same words in similarly fleeting contexts.

That, in essence, was the decision on Monday, when a federal appeals panel struck down the government policy that allows stations and networks to be fined if they broadcast shows containing obscene language.
….

Under President Bush, the F.C.C. has expanded its indecency rules, taking a much harder line on obscenities uttered on broadcast television and radio. While the judges sent the case back to the commission to rewrite its indecency policy, it said that it was ‘doubtful’ that the agency would be able to ‘adequately respond to the constitutional and statutory challenges raised by the networks.’
….
Adopting an argument made by lawyers for NBC, the judges then cited examples in which Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney had used the same language that would be penalized under the policy. Mr. Bush was caught on videotape last July using a common vulgarity that the commission finds objectionable in a conversation with Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain. Three years ago, Mr. Cheney was widely reported to have muttered an angry obscene version of ‘get lost’ to Senator Patrick Leahy on the floor of the United States Senate.”

White House spokeswoman Emily A. Lawrimore said when President Bush heard the news he said, “why don’t they get their heads out of their ### and listen to the #### that goes on TV! ###holes!”

In response to a request for comment Mr. Cheney told the New York Times to “get lost” [using more colorful language].