Posted on 09/15/2004 11:30:46 AM PDT by rocklobster11
Now that we know the memos were forged, the question is who created them and why? It has been reported that these memos came
to CBS from the DNC and may have originated by a disgruntled former Army National Guard member who has an axe to grind with
President Bush. I'm sure the who will be discovered by other news sources soon. I want to focus on the why.
When I originally saw these memos, I couldn't figure out what the purpose of them was. There didn't seem to be any new facts in
them, as everyone agrees that Bush missed his annual flight examination which was scheduled for July 1972, and had his flight
status suspended on August 1. These memos just appeared to provide backup.
However, upon further analysis, it appears that these memos were meant to lay the ground work for further charges that Bush used
cocaine while in the National Guard and had to be quickly shuffled out of Texas to Alabama to cover it up. These are rumors that
have circled amongst the Bush haters, but there has been no proof, and the timeline didn't really support the conspiracy
theories. Lets look at how these memos were an attempt to forward this rumor:
What is behind each of the memos:
| Fake Memo | What is says | Why was it created |
| May 4,1972 | Orders Bush to get his annual physical within 10 days | To change the timeline for Bush getting his annual physical, which wasn't actually due until the end of July. Create the impression that Bush left in a hurried panic for Alabama to avoid drug testing |
| May 19, 1972 | Phone call from Bush asking about getting transfered to Alabama because he wants to run a campaign. Followed by discussion of getting the physical later if he decided to keep flying |
Show that Bush left town on May 15, called his commander after the fact to see if he could transfer to Alabama. Also, create a confirmation that Killian was aware and ok with the fact that Bush missed the physical. If the order from May 4 was disobeyed, you would expect some sort of official reprimand or follow-up. Since there is nothing in the record, the May 19 memo provides an answer. |
| August 1,1972 | Bush suspended from flight status due to failure to perform to USAF/TexANG standards and failute to meet annual physical examination as ordered. Plus order of the creation of a flight review board IAW AFM35-13. |
Make it look like there was something more to the suspension of flight status than just missing the physical. Create the impression that a flight review board was ordered, so that they can then ask why Bush has not released this document (ie, there must be a cover-up). It must show that Bush was suspended for using drugs |
| August 18, 1972 | CYA Memo about being pressured to sugar-coat the Bush review. Mentions something about backdating information | Perhaps to show that there was some pressure from higher up for a coverup. However, I wonder what record would need to be "backdated" in order to fit in with the subsequent conspiracy theory that they plan to release. Perhaps we will find out, or perhaps they will abandon the next phase of the plan now that the forgeries have been uncovered |
Why did 60 Minutes run this story last week? I believe it was meant to be a lead in to the Kitty Kelly book, which also makes
these unfounded claims of Bush drug use. 60 Minutes expected there to be a 4-5 day news cycle discussing how Bush had not
completed his guard duty or had been given preferential treatment. After the Kitty Kelly book came out, they could look at them
again in a new light to help spread the rumors of Bush's drug use.
Very interesting.
I am pretty sure that random drug tests did not begin in the military until the early 80s.
"The End justifies The Means..!"
Examples:
If you need facts and can't find any so support you, then make them up!
If you are confronted by facts, deny or ignore them!
Laws are for little people, not for liberals!
This was supposed to be a two-phased assault (Phase I: get us to accept the memos; Phase II: claim memos are proof Bush was coked up). Phase I is still blowing up in CBS's face, which prevents them from getting to Phase II. However, they didn't want to drop Phase I it was the only way they can get to Phase II.
Now they are going to claim "the docs are forgeries, but the information in them is correct." They want to drop the docs, forget the whole forgery scandal, and jump straight into Phase II. They may have coached Killian's secretary because what she says is exactly what they want right now.
However, the public is not going to forget about the forgery scandal. CBS will not get to move on to Phase II until the forgery kerfuffle is resolved (and CBS doesn't want to resolve it because that means admitting major culpability)
When I was in Viet Nam, we were tested for Heroin use, but no one ever worried about pot use, a lot of people smoked it and when test time came around no one that I personally know of was busted for pot use because of the tests. I don't think that pot showed up, I don't know about other drugs though.
I did know people who were busted for Heroin use because of them.
Kitty Kelly has three sources for that, but all of them are dead. </dark humor>
Excellent corrections. Someone said this has been a 'reverse Watergate'. Definitely the unfolding of this fiasco has been one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in politics and news reporting.
If they could plan something this carefully, why couldn't they do a decent job of forgery?
What is behind each of the memos:
| Fake Memo | What is says | Why was it created |
| February 1,1972 | Asks for an update of flight status for Bush and another officer, Bath | To create a paper trail leading to the May 4 memo. Also, Bath also missed his physical within a month of the time Bush missed his, and many leftwing conspiracy sites beleive that they both got caught doing cocaine in the Guard, but that the records were scrubbed. Also, Bush was later involved in a company with Bath, and they attempt to link Bush and Bath with the Bin Laden's based on this company. |
| May 4,1972 | Orders Bush to get his annual physical within 10 days | To change the timeline for Bush getting his annual physical, which wasn't actually due until the end of July. Create the impression that Bush left in a hurried panic for Alabama to avoid drug testing |
| May 19, 1972 | Phone call from Bush asking about getting transfered to Alabama because he wants to run a campaign. Followed by discussion of getting the physical later if he decided to keep flying | Show that Bush left town on May 15, called his commander after the fact to see if he could transfer to Alabama. Also, create a confirmation that Killian was aware and ok with the fact that Bush missed the physical. If the order from May 4 was disobeyed, you would expect some sort of official reprimand or follow-up. Since there is nothing in the record, the May 19 memo provides an answer. |
| August 1,1972 | Bush suspended from flight status due to failure to perform to USAF/TexANG standards and failute to meet annual physical examination as ordered. Plus order of the creation of a flight review board IAW AFM35-13. | Make it look like there was something more to the suspension of flight status than just missing the physical. Create the impression that a flight review board was ordered, so that they can then ask why Bush has not released this document (ie, there must be a cover-up). It must show that Bush was suspended for using drugs |
| June 24, 1973 | Memo concerning a request for evaluation of Bush and a statement about not being able to evaluate Bush since he had been off of the base from May 1972 to May 1973. | To provide a basis for the August 18, 1973 memo, which complains of being pressured by superiors. |
| August 18, 1973 | CYA Memo about being pressured to sugar-coat the Bush review. Mentions something about backdating information | Perhaps to show that there was some pressure from higher up for a coverup. However, I wonder what record would need to be "backdated" in order to fit in with the subsequent conspiracy theory that they plan to release. Perhaps we will find out, or perhaps they will abandon the next phase of the plan now that the forgeries have been uncovered |
I think the same maxim applies to the obvious shortcomings in the CBS forgery.
I'm on to Rove's plans ... Hate the pig, but have to admire his devious genius. What he's presently working is this ... If the memo's are indeed fakes he definitely would be the one pushing them. Even if the memos are real, the heavy hammering by shills is having the effect of creating doubt. Also, he's got shills asking leading questions at press conferences like "why is the White house allowing people like the AP and people like CBS to have access to press conferences after their anti-Bush lies". (booing of Bush, forged memos, etc) The reason this is being done is to set precedent that anything anti Bush is a lie. By discrediting the media at this stage anything that comes out negative between now and the election will be automatically suspect and eventually automatically discounted. He's creating an atmosphere of doubt while simultaneously distracting from anything substantial or issue oriented.
"Forgery" issue is another publican lie. publicanism equates with pathological prevarication and psychotic willfull ignorance.
Did Rove plant the CBS TANG documents? Did he do the same to Hatfield author of Fortunate Son, the book which broke the story of Bush's cocaine conviction back in 2000?
Send this story to Olberman at MSNBC. He already thinks it is Rove but I don't know if he knows the Hatfield story.
The documents are genuine. Real signatures, real sentiments, real events...real. No hard evidence has been put up to challenge them, only hearsay. "Probably", "likely"--not good enough, especially when not coming from experts.
I think its Rove.... ...this stuff benefits the Bush team more than the Kerry team. Keeps the focus off his record while time is wasted on this stuff.
The RNC Did This This is a total plant by the fascists in the RNC. Rove has got his fingerprints all over this. I wouldn't be surprised if CBS was in on it to try to damage Kerry. They should also look into probable involvement by Israel.
This is a totalitarian hijacking of our democracy, our freedoms of speech, and a DIRECT THREAT to Mr. Dan Rather, Citizen of the United States!!
My guess is that someone knew the true story about Bush's going awol, but lacking a smoking gun, created one. This is why the White House didn't denounce the doucuments when they say them; they knew they were the truth. Only now it comes out that the docs are a crude forgery. It was really stupid of CBS not to do a better job.
What unadulterated crap. Rather knows what he's doing, and... ...I get the sense that FratBoy will wish that he'd never tangled with him.
CBS is doing Democrats no favors here... I agree with IndianaGreen - stonewalling is like waving a hankie on a stick to divert attention from the fact that you aren't wearing any pants. It didn't work for Tricky Dick and it won't work for Dan. Rather is starting to make me cringe, while the Repugs smirk self-righteously. No one needs those stinking documents to assert that the chimp was a shirker -- there is plenty of other evidence -- but as long as the spotlight is on the documents' authenticity, it's off Boosh.
CBS has been AMAZING at disclosing the crap that the * Administration has gotten away with. I think they deserve everyone's support here.
The most amazing thing about this story is that it demonstrates the evil genius of Karl Rove and his gang of scumbags. They have framed the story as being about the veracity of the documents rather than about the substance of the accusations. Damn them to hell!
Here's my guess as to what happened: someone knows exactly how Bush avoided Vietnam and how he didn't fullfill his guard service. This person knew all the details, but didn't have any smoking guns, so forged some documents. CBS got ahold of these documents and it asked other people if their contents were believable, and of course people in the know, such as the secretary, said yes. CBS passed the documents to the White House, who looked at them and said holy shit! This is exactly what happened. So the White House didn't denounce them. At the same time, CBS ignored some critics who stated that the documents were foged: They went ahead with the story, and now we have forged documents that state the truth.
I have mentioned before that this memos alone are not that damaging. I was eating lunch today and it popped into my head that someone said that Bush did not take his physical because he was afraid he would pop on a urinalysis. It then dawned on me that this is why this memos (by themselves) are not that damaging. They are just the beginning of a major onslaught that will be tied into these memos at a later time. The fact that he was alledgedly "ordered" will attampt to show more culpablity on his part. Of course it is all trash, but it also explains the rabid defense of the memos.
This has been very carefully orchestrated.
The "Operation Fortunate Son" was all ready to go.
Kitty Kelly planting the "meme" that Bush is a coke head.
This goes far beyond some flunky in Texas, or a "throw-away" producer at CBS
W snorts at Camp David, and Barbara is a practicing witch, maybe?
Ping to #31.
I disagree.
Kerry had been beaten down in the polls for over a month by the Swiftboat adds. The Republican convention bounce just made things worst.
The purpose of the memos was to put Bush on the defensive. The Democrats don't do well on the defensive. They needed something, anything, to switch the focus back unto Bush. The effort was only partically successful. It took the focus off of Kerry, but the focus has become Dan Rather/CBS, not President Bush.
The Damage control that is going on now at CBS is to make sure the fallout from the documents do not harm Kerry/DNC. CBS is not so concerned about their own reputation because they know their sponsors will not leave.
I only had time to skim your post, but you are right.
For years they have stated he missed duty and hinted darkly as to why he missed the physical and such and it never gained traction. They figured having documents (and they only dared to create spinnable ones since there are living witnesses) would give them the boost they needed to "finally" make their allegations stick.
VERY good chart @ #31
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