As reported on Political Cortex last October, two news articles, including one in Prensa Latina, claimed that the Bush family had purchased a sizeable piece of land in Paraguay.  Although it seemed a bit farfetched, the rumor spread like wildfire across the blogosphere.  Mainstream news media, on the other hand, ignored the story and neither substantiated nor disproved the allegation. A search of the White House website turned up no evidence of an official response.

In fact, a response was issued, through the State Department, on an obscure web page far below the public radar.  This is not the reaction one would expect from public relations experts hoping to squelch a rampant rumor, and it's a highly unusual response for an administration known for aggressive denials of unflattering allegations.  Thus, the administration's limp response, like the rumor itself, is intriguing.

At least two sources, including Upsidedownworld and Prensa Latina, report rumors of a Bush family purchase of land in northern Paraguay.

Upsidedownworld writes, on October 11:

The Governor of Alto Paraguay, Erasmo Rodríguez Acosta has admitted to hearing that George Bush Sr. owns land in the Chaco region of Paraguay, in Paso de Patria. Acosta says that rumor has it that Bush owns near to 70 thousand hectares (173,000 acres) as part of an ecological reserve and/or ranch. However, the governor said he had no documents to prove the rumor.