Eight months ago, the Los Angeles Times published the first in a
continuing series of articles charging that the Bush
Administration had secretly funneled several billion dollars
worth of loan guarantees and military technology to Saddam
Hussein from 1986 to 1990. Directly and indirectly, the stories
said, this money and materiel gave Hussein the very weapons he
later used against American and allied forces in the Persian
Gulf War.  The Times stories--many based on previously secret
papers prepared by the Bush Administration--also alleged that
the Administration tried to cover up what it had done by
altering documents it supplied to Congress and by attempting to
obstruct official investigations of aid to Iraq.  The Times has
now published more than 100 stories, totaling more than 90,000
words, on the scandal known as Iraqgate. Almost half these
stories have appeared on Page 1. Although The Times "got a good
chunk of the story first," as William Safire wrote in a New York
Times column, many other news organiza