Posted on 09/10/2004 10:11:53 AM PDT by Pfesser
XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX FRI SEPT 10, 2004 12:01:25 ET XXXXX
RATHER DIGS IN: THE DOCUMENTS ARE AUTHENTIC
CBSNEWS anchor and 60 MINUTES correspondent Dan Rather publicly defended his reporting Friday morning after questions were raised about the authenticity of newly unearthed memos aired on CBS which asserted that George W. Bush ignored a direct order from a superior officer in the Texas Air National Guard.
CNN TRANSCRIPT:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN RATHER, CBS NEWS ANCHOR: I know that this story is true. I believe that the witnesses and the documents are authentic. We wouldn't have gone to air if they would not have been. There isn't going to be -- there's no -- what you're saying apology?
QUESTION: Apology or any kind of retraction or...
RATHER: Not even discussed, nor should it be. I want to make clear to you, I want to make clear to you if I have not made clear to you, that this story is true, and that more important questions than how we got the story, which is where those who don't like the story like to put the emphasis, the more important question is what are the answers to the questions raised in the story, which I just gave you earlier.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CBS NEWS executives on Thursday launched an internal investigation into whether its premiere news program 60 MINUTES aired fabricated documents relating to Bush's National Guard service, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned. "The reputation and integrity of the entire news division is at stake, if we are in error, it will be corrected," a top CBS source explained late Thursday.
Developing...
Keep digging that grave, Blather.
Apparently CBS has concluded that if they don't contend the documents are real, then they would have to give up the source.
I guess ol' Danny Boy likes the taste of shoe leather! TASTY!
Should be, Rather digs grave.
Look for the ON Air correction Between Midnight Saturday, and 4 Am Sunday. Probably the latter.
Drudge headline looks cool with superscript "th". check it out. :o)
Someone please give Dan the number to the NY State Department of Labor, Unemployment Services. He is going to need it very soon.
Prove it, Dan. Where are the originals? Who gave them to you? What did you do to confirm their authenticity?
One wonders how Rather can be so sure... unless of course he's lost his objectivity. hahahahhahaha
Rush said that McAwful is saying this whole thing is Rove set-up, basically admitting the docs are fake, even as Rather vouches for the authenticity. The Dem/Media Apparatus is in panic mode. Anybody got a source for the McAwful quote.
What's the provenance, Kenneth?
Did anyone see the press release? CBS is saying that the report was based on "a preponderance of evidence"! YIKES!!! Since when is factual reporting supposed to be a PREPONDERANCE of EVIDENCE!
I would give CBS executives anywhere from 24 to 72 hours before they issue the retraction. If they don't they will lose a huge share of their remaining TV News audience (as small as it is ...)
So, what happens now?
Who has the originals?
I could be wrong but I suspect that the age of the paper could easily be determined. Having worked in Printing shops, I know that most (or all) paper stock becomes much more brittle after just one year on the shelf.
Rather is certifiable. (Not that that's news.)
Hopefully this will finally bring about his end.
But Dan, if the documents are forgeries, then there are no questions to be answered, other than WHO PROVIDED THE FORGED DOCUMENTS!
What preponderance?! They consulted one alleged and nameless doc expert, and called some guy who knew Killian and read the memos over the phone to him. Oh, real investigative journalism there all right. NOT.
I heard the interview on Rush and Rather sounded like a Dem flack--"Bush needs to answer these questions.." and so forth. He has been totally exposed.
I believe CBS and Rather released the fake documents KNOWING they were probably fake, just to take the spotlight away from the POW Vietnam Vets, who released their documentary DVD this week showing Kerry's 1971 speech before the US Senate really did harm POWS in Vietnam.
That's the way things work.
This will be the official spin from CBS
"We don't know whether the documents are forged or not. We are still investigating. But we were wrong to release them without verifying completely and we are sorry for that".
This way, they don't accept responsibility and they can just hope for another story like a hurricane to divert our attention.
His opinion over Bush is letting him overlook anything else, what tunnel vision. They're FAKE DOCUMENTS Rather!
Too late.
The source may have already been exposed as of 12:06 AM Eastern time...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1211690/posts
"I know that this story is true. I believe that the witnesses and the documents are authentic."
"know" != "believe".
God, Dan Rather is an idiot!
Go check out drudge and look at the Headline on the Rather story. heheheheh Oh gawd, this is the most fun I've had since I ran naked with the hogs through church services.
Produce your "experts" Mr. Rather.
Or would you rather not?
Hey, Kenneth! Fish that swallow the hook usually die having it extracted.
Expect CBS to adopt the Tawanna Brawley defense, "what matters is that it could have happened."
What could be more important than the integrity of your research Dan?
The "how" is the story, moron...
In the long-run, it will demote the network to be on a par the WB and Paramount.
If Rather Mea Culpa'd he's probably keep his job. Digging in will only make the fall worse.
As Hannity would say...."It's not the facts of the case, it's about the seriousness of the charge."
I really want to know who that so-called nameless doc expert is especially since they won't give one. I have never heard of this being done - not giving out or even interviewing the expert .... and I am a guy who has worked with producers in creating these types of news documentary shows.
Even if they don't want to reveal their source or who the "expert" was that said these docs were authentic, can't they come up with even one single person, one single "expert" to say these docs "could" be authentic, other than thier initial expert? It just seems there should be someone, somewhere, that could say this, if it was true. And I don't see anyone, anywhere with any credibility, coming forward to say that.
"Just saying it, doesn't make it so". Isn't that the line Kerry likes to use when talking about Bush?
"Somebody set up us the forgery!!!"
Haven't found the quote but this scenario/response was considered on yesterday's Hugh Hewitt program.
Folks, we have all heard media questioning the authenticity of the documents. However, in all the stories I have heard, it has simply been one more chance to repeat the charges in the documents.
This story is not flying until the forgery IS the story.
Please locate links to relevant articles which detail the forgery in length and forward the links to ALL your friends. We still have to put legs on this thing!
It was not Rove...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1211690/posts
Anatomy of a Forgery
By The Prowler
Published 9/10/2004 12:09:06 AM
More than six weeks ago, an opposition research staffer for the Democratic National Committee received documents purportedly written by President George W. Bush's Texas Air National Guard squadron commander, the late Col. Jerry Killian.
The oppo researcher claimed the source was "a retired military officer." According to a DNC staffer, the documents were seen by both senior staff members at the DNC, as well as the Kerry campaign.
"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."
The concerns arose from the sourcing. "It wasn't clear that our source for the documents would have had access to them. Our person couldn't confirm from what file, from what original source they came from."...
Danny Boy
Ah Danny boy, the pipes,
the pipes are calling
From glen to glen,
and down the mountain side
The summer's gone,
and all the flowers are falling
'Tis you, 'tis you
must go and...
don't let the door hit you in the @ss
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.