Bush Guard Memos Scrutinized (Kerry's lying pals at CBS begin a slow back-peddle)

CBS supposed "News" ^ | Friday, September 10, 2004

[JohnHuang2]

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Bush Guard Memos Under Microscope
NEW YORK, Sept. 10, 2004


Questions were raised Thursday about the authenticity of newly unearthed memos purporting to have been written by one of President Bush's National Guard commanders in 1972 and 1973.

The memos, which were publicized on CBS News' 60 Minutes, say Mr. Bush ignored a direct order from a superior officer and lost his status as a Guard pilot because he failed to meet military performance standards and undergo a required physical exam.

The network defended the memos, saying its experts who examined the memos concluded they were authentic documents produced by Lt. Col. Jerry Killian.

But Killian's son, one of Killian's fellow officers and an independent document examiner questioned the memos.

Gary Killian, who served in the Guard with his father and retired as a captain in 1991, said he doubted his father would have written an unsigned memo which said there was pressure to "sugar coat" Mr. Bush's performance review.

"It just wouldn't happen," he said. "No officer in his right mind would write a memo like that."

The personnel chief in Killian's unit at the time also said he believes the documents are fake.

"They looked to me like forgeries," said Rufus Martin. "I don't think Killian would do that, and I knew him for 17 years." Killian died in 1984.

Independent document examiner Sandra Ramsey Lines said the memos looked like they had been produced on a computer using Microsoft Word software. Lines, a document expert and fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, pointed to a superscript — a smaller, raised "th" in "111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron" — as evidence indicating forgery.

Microsoft Word automatically inserts superscripts in the same style as the two on the memos obtained by CBS, she said.

"I'm virtually certain these were computer generated," Lines said after reviewing copies of the documents at her office in Paradise Valley, Ariz. She produced a nearly identical document using her computer's Microsoft Word software.

In the Wednesday broadcast, 60 Minutes said the purported memos were "documents we are told were taken from Col. Killian's personal file. The program says it consulted a handwriting analyst and document expert who believes the material is authentic.

"As is standard practice at CBS News, the documents in the 60 Minutes report were thoroughly examined and their authenticity vouched for by independent experts," CBS News said in a statement. "As importantly, 60 Minutes also interviewed close associates of Colonel Jerry Killian. They confirm that the documents reflect his opinions and actions at the time."

The White House distributed the four memos from 1972 and 1973 after obtaining them from CBS News. The White House did not question their accuracy.

Robert Strong was a friend and colleague of Killian who ran the Texas Air National Guard administrative office in the Vietnam era. Strong, now a college professor, also believes the documents are genuine.

"They are compatible with the way business was done at the time. They are compatible with the man that I remember Jerry Killian being," says Strong. "I don't see anything in the documents that is discordant with what were the times, what was the situation and what were the people involved."

The documents were described in a 60 Minutes that featured a retired Texas politician's claim that he pulled strings to get young Mr. Bush, then a college graduate at the height of the Vietnam War in 1968, into the Guard — a posting that made service overseas unlikely.

Former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes — then the 29-year-old speaker of the Texas House — told CBS News Anchor Dan Rather that he used influence on Mr. Bush's behalf at the request of a Houston businessman friendly with the Bush family, oilman Sid Adger.

Mr. Bush has denied he received special treatment. The White House ascribed Barnes' remarks to political motives. Barnes is an adviser to Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry.

The president's service record emerged as an issue during the 2000 race and again this winter. The Killian documents revived the issue of Mr. Bush's time in uniform after weeks in which Kerry, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran, has faced questions over his record as a Navy officer and an anti-war protester.

In May 1968, Mr. Bush signed a six-year commitment to fly for the Air Guard. Mr. Bush was honorably discharged from the Guard in October 1973 and left the Air Force Reserves in May 1974.

Early in his military career, Mr. Bush received glowing evaluations from Killian, who called Lt. Bush "an exceptionally fine young officer and pilot" who "performed in an outstanding manner."

Documents released this week show Mr. Bush with scores of 88 on an airmanship test, 98 on aviation physiology and 100 on navigational abilities.

The questions about Mr. Bush's service center on how Mr. Bush got into the Guard and whether he fulfilled his duties during a period from mid-1972 to mid-1973.

After taking his last flight in April 1972, Mr. Bush went for six months without showing up for any training drills.

That May, Mr. Bush skipped a required yearly medical examination. In response, his commanders grounded him on Aug. 1, 1972.

In September 1972 he received permission to transfer to the Alabama unit so he could work on a political campaign there.

What the Killian memos purported to show is that Mr. Bush defied a direct order to appear for the physical, that his performance as an officer was lacking in other ways and that Mr. Bush used family connections to try to quash any inquiry into his lapses.

In a separate revelation, the Boston Globe this week reported that Mr. Bush promised to sign up with a Boston-area unit when he left his Texas unit in 1973 to attend Harvard Business School. Mr. Bush never signed up with a Boston unit.

Bartlett claimed in 1999 that Mr. Bush had joined a Boston unit. Bartlett told the Globe this week that he "misspoke."



©MMIV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[woodb01]

The most important thing you can do is to contact CBS and voice your disgust about Dan Rather.  Second, about CBS's anti-Bush taint, and third, send media links to the controversy to the advertisers and lodge a complaint with the advertisers that they must repudiate the 60 Minutes hit piece.  Do they want their products associated with a politically motivated hatchet job which turns out to be a fraud?

CBS 60 Minutes Hit Piece on Bush

This should be enough to put a LOT of heat on CBS if you're willing to do the work.   Complain to CBS advertisers.  Most of these are advertisers that were involved with the 60 Minutes slam on Bush, but hey, complain to them and ask for them to pull their advertising from the Bush Hating CBS...

CBS Television Group
51 W 52nd St # 35
New York, NY 10019
(212) 975-4321

CBS News FAX is (212) 975-1998

60 Minutes Spokesperson: Kelli Edwards 212-975-6795

CBS News Comments
212-975-3248. (Leave a comment on the answering machine)

60 Minutes
524 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
212- 975-3247 CALL AND COMPLAIN!

 

Andrew Heyward -- CBS News
Title: President
Department: Headquarters
Phone: (212) 975-4321
Fax: (212) 975-1893
Address: 524 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019

60II@cbsnews.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First Commercial Break

Allegra

Home Depot

Kleenex

Vioxx(Arthritis medicine)

Splenda(Low carb sugar substitute)

email contacts for the first group:

Allegra is Aventis. Contact info: https://www.facilitator.aventis-us.com/contactcenter/MedicalInquiryForm.do 

Home Depot Executive addresses http://ir.homedepot.com/edgar.cfm

Home Depot Investor Relations http://ir.homedepot.com/comment.cfm

Home Depot Public Relations - customer-service@homedepot.com  http://www.homedepot.com/HDUS/EN_US/corporate/media_relations/media_relations.shtml 

Klenex: https://www.kimberly-clark.com/ask/kleenex/index.asp?country=US&site=www.kleenex.com&ssl=true 

vioxx belongs to merc: http://www.merck.com/contact/ 

splenda: http://www.splenda.com/vcrc/customer.jhtml;jsessionid=YFXNEFPSM4OQMCQPCB3SUZQKB2IIWNSC 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Second Commercial Break

Kia Automobiles

Zelnorm(IBS medication for women)

Sprint PCS

UPS Store

Campbells Soup

Kia Automobiles (Again)

Kia - go to www.kia.com  and look at the bottom for contact info.

zelnorm is an IBS med from novartis: second commercials:

http://www.pharma.us.novartis.com/utils/contact/info/profilei.jsp 

sprint: http://www.sprint.com/business/support/index.jsp 

ups: http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/contact/index.html 

campbell soup: http://www.campbellsoupcompany.com/contact_campbell.asp?cpovisq=7p1MlY0GCdNTvvNxXWY9pJhKUKkuu4AQ 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Third Commercial break (End of Bush segment)

Morgan Stanley

Ziploc

Cingular Wireless

Pepcid Complete

Estee Lauder

Infiniti Automobiles

morgan stanley: http://www.morganstanleyindividual.com/customerservice/contactus/ 

cingular: http://www.cingular.com/customer_service/contact_us 

pepcid antiacid: http://www.pepcidac.com/vcrc/email/emailform.jhtml 

estee lauder: http://www.esteelauder.com/customerservice/email_us.tmpl 

infiniti: http://www.infiniti.com/form/0,,action-IContactUs,00.htmliniti:

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Swift Vets Threads related to CBS con

Threads talking about boycott. http://www2.swiftvets.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8441  (This one has most of the contact links)
http://www2.swiftvets.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8414 
http://www2.swiftvets.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8303
 

[tomnbeverly]

Swiftvets = Truth
Rather = Smear

SEE THE DIFFERENCE.

[cajungirl]

You are awesome,,thanks for the contacts. We're gonna be busy little campers this morning.

[Pharlap]

It appears that the three-pronged attack on the President's National Guard service has, well, three problems. First, the Texas Lt. Governor who said he got Bush into the TANG was not the Lt. Governor at the time Bush joined the TANG. Second,the fellow who told the Boston Globe that Bush did not report to a Mass. Guard unit when he went to the Harvard Business School has recanted his story. Third, the CBS memos are now all but totally discredited. The only issue remaining about CBS's use of the fraudulent documents is whether CBS was duped or was a willing co-conspirator.

[counterpunch]

CBS supposed "News"

LOL! That says it all.

[tcostell]

Great Post ... thanks for all the useful data.

BTTT.

[Williams]

This is not just a journalistic mistake. It was an out and out plot to undermine the Commander in Chief and oust our current leadership at a time of war. And it relied on forged military documents, a further sacrilege. The news is still full of the forgery. Talk about attempting an illegitimate election!

[looney tune]

Funny how things change. Yesterday,I was disgusted - - last night I was amused - - today I'm ecstatic. This doesn't bode well for the dems.

[Ken K]

Dan Rather must have been a key part of the scheme. He was not duped because he found an expert to authenticate the documents and even found an "eyewitness." His expert is the only one who found nothing suspicious. Dan Rather is not an innocent victim. He made it happen.

[BunnySlippers]

Bump

[Glenn]

All the VM boxes are full.

Excellent!

[IamConservative]

I may be off here, but didn't McAulife say Bush refused to report for a physical in one or more of his unsubstantiated diatribes? If these documents were just obtained from a FOIA request, how did McAulife know the story before they were released?

Writing forgeries to match your lies?

[Republican Red]

I would suggest contacting your local CBS affiliate also.

In Atlanta the CBS affliate is a weak fourth in local news. They are very sensitive to these type of charges.

[Casloy]

also interviewed close associates of Colonel Jerry Killian. They confirm that the documents reflect his opinions and actions at the time."

What complete dirtbags at CBS. So, even if the documents are fake, his friends say this is what he believed. Killian's widow needs to sue these scum for billions.

[GailA]

Anatomy of a Forgery By The Prowler

"More than a couple people heard about the papers," says the DNC staffer. "I've heard that they ended up with the Kerry campaign, for them to decide to how to proceed, and presumably they were handed over to 60 Minutes, which used them the other night. But I know this much. When there was discussion here, there were doubts raised about their authenticity."

These FAKE docs came out of the KERRY campaign!

[L98Fiero]

On Fox & Friends they were saying the late Colonel's son and widow were saying the docs were bunk. They said he really didn't keep notes and the language of the memos wasn't like him. The son, in the National Guard, seemed to have a LOT of problems with the docs.

[Sacajaweau]

That's interesting!

[Rutles4Ever]

Congratulations to all my fellow Freepers. I'm proud of the hard work that went into exposing this fraud. It's an absolute honor to be part of Free Republic, and I extend my thanks to everyone who is helping to make this country even greater than it is!

Thank you, all.

[PilloryHillary]

Anatomy of a Forgery By The Prowler

"More than a couple people heard about the papers," says the DNC staffer. "I've heard that they ended up with the Kerry campaign, for them to decide to how to proceed, and presumably they were handed over to 60 Minutes, which used them the other night. But I know this much. When there was discussion here, there were doubts raised about their authenticity."

These FAKE docs came out of the KERRY campaign!

It would be too sweet to find out Kerry's campaign really had something to do with this!!! It doesn't surprise me if it's true. Oh, that link doesn't work!