Posted on 09/17/2004 7:24:39 PM PDT by jhouston
The former Texas National Guard officer suspected of providing CBS News with possibly forged records on President Bush's military service called on Democratic activists to wage "war" against Republican "dirty tricks" in a series of Internet postings in which he also used phrases similar to several employed in the disputed documents. Retired Lt. Col. Bill Burkett, who earlier said he overheard Bush aides conspiring with the commander of the Texas National Guard to "sanitize" the president's military records, has refused to comment on reports that he could be CBS's confidential source. In e-mails yesterday to The Washington Post, he said he would speak out "at the appropriate time" but "that time is not now."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Read the article. They are the first to connect this moron and his plot with the Kerry campaign and the DNC
Maybe Washington comPost sees the writing is on the wall for the Kerry campaign, and wants to claim credit for bringing them down in time for Hillary to fly in on her broom.
I'm guessing o/a Nov 1. What a loon.
Dobbs has just obliterated any chance that CBS might have
thought they had to paint this as a Rove-inspired dirty trick.
Cool.
I'm guessing they won't dig deep enough to see if Burkett's lawyer, David Van Os, is involved. Or take the investigation to the highest levels, which is just what the DNCBS wants.
The story gets bigger.
WAPO has it and is actually pussuing the story with some journalistic integrity. Impressive.
Rather said Mary Mapes has been working on the story for four-plus years, yet Emily Will (document expert) said she received the documents over the Labor Day weekend.
The inference is that CBS was working on a story for a very long period of time without having their documentation verified until last week? Am I missing something?
Burkett Boasts He 'Reassembled' Bush Files, Aided Michael Moore
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=%5CPolitics%5Carchive%5C200409%5CPOL20040917c.html
Another retired Guard officer .........Robert Strong, said earlier this week that Rather showed him copies of new Guard records on Bush that bore markings showing that they had been faxed from a Kinko's .....
[Max]Cleland confirmed that he had a two- or three-minute conversation by cell phone with a Texan named Burkett in mid-August.......Burkett saying that he had "valuable" information about Bush, and asking what he should with it. "I told him to contact the [Kerry] campaign," Cleland said. "You get this information tens of times a day, and you don't know if it is legit or not."
Things seem to be falling into place...a bit slowly, but progress, just the same. I am surprised to see that Srong provided the Kinko lead.
I bet you meant pursuing, but that's funny. Freudian slip with WA Post?
Cleland is quoted as saying he told Burkett to send the infomration to the Kerry campaign - then says he gets 8 or 10 of these offers a day.
You're not missing a thing, it's an obvious inside job.
Cleland confirmed that he had a two- or three-minute conversation by cell phone with a Texan named Burkett in mid-August while he was on a car ride. He remembers Burkett saying that he had "valuable" information about Bush, and asking what he should with it. "I told him to contact the [Kerry] campaign," Cleland said. "You get this information tens of times a day, and you don't know if it is legit or not."
One wonders if Burkett followed Cleland's advice. If Burkett actually sent copies of the docs to the Kerry campaign (which they haven't mentioned receiving up to now), look for staffers to start scrambling for cover.
That is the kind of fog that the MSM used to get away with. That is simply old fashioned spin which is ludricous given the facts. What they meant to say is that they have been looking for the opportunity to take Bush down for years, and this seemed like their last best chance to take their shot.
Cleland confirmed that he had a two- or three-minute conversation by cell phone with a Texan named Burkett in mid-August while he was on a car ride. He remembers Burkett saying that he had "valuable" information about Bush, and asking what he should with it. "I told him to contact the [Kerry] campaign," Cleland said. "You get this information tens of times a day, and you don't know if it is legit or not."
Did the WaPo get Burkett's cell phone records, and link him to Cleland? Is Mr Dobbs fishing for a Pulitzer? Who will crack first? Tune in tomorrow for the next episode of "As the Dan Rather Twists."
The Washington Post "forgot" to report that Burkett was also an accomplice of Michael Moore.
"I told him to contact the [Kerry] campaign," Cleland said.
Ping to this M. Dobbs piece in the Wash Post...he picked up on the similar wording of Burkett's writings & the CYA Memo, and he quotes "run interference" as did I
& FReeper Catphish FIRST.
Is this the same Max Cleland who blew himself up with a grenade?
Via Cleland, Mr. Grenade Man. The Great Unraveling continues.
There's a bombshell at the end of the article.
Burkett ties in the Kerry campaign via postings he made on the internet.
Cleland admits talking to a guy named Burkett when he was in Texas in mid August. Must have been when Rassmann and Cleland were trying to storm the ranch in Crawford.
"In an Aug. 21 posting, Burkett referred to a conversation with former senator Max Cleland (D-Ga.) about the need to counteract Republican tactics:
"I asked if they wanted to counterattack or ride this to ground and outlast it, not spending any money.
He said counterattack.
SO I GAVE THEM THE INFORMATION TO DO IT WITH.
But none of them have called me back."
None other. Maybe he met Burkett when he was in Texas to deliver that whiny letter to the Crawford Ranch.
Mary Mapes has been digging for dirt on this story for years is what's being reported. Its been her pet project/obsession.
I'm pretty sure you have it correct. However, we don't know what else they may have or think they have on this subject. The "big shock" is that CBS has had one of their super star teams digging for dirt for 4+ years on President Bush.
One might expect they would at least ask sKerry to sign the 180.
I'll bet Michael Dobbs is going to get the Pulitzer this year.
Time to check Mary Beth Cahill's fax machine.
Funny, I couldn't find any reference of the standard PR letter from the commander to Bush's father. I guess that wouldn't fit with what Dobbs was trying to insinuate. The correspondence was initiated by the commander -- standard letter that parents got while their sons were in pilot training.
USAFA sent PR releases to your hometown paper and the tradition continued in UPT as well.
Dobbs is either ignorant of the PR of the military or is relying on the general public's ignorance of SOP for the military.
"...he and other researchers...." Who else helped him?
Good article with some new information about Burkett using some of the same language found in the forged documents on his earlier posts on the web.
That pig won't fly. There is no direct connection between Kerry and the memos, just connections between the memos and old line democrats. Replacing the candidate won't have any affedt. It's the DNC that's screwed. Terry McAwful is in the thick of it because he was ready from the starting gun to push a series of ads based on the CBS memos.
By the way, how did he know they were fake before CBS did?
The WaPo also failed to mention that Burkett's claim of seeing Bush's Guard records vetted and dumped in the trash in Austin was a total fabrication - turns out that the location he claims did not ever serve as storage for TX Air Guard records - likewise Burkett's other "eye-whitness" denies the story.
When Burkett contacted Kerry's campaign, he probably did it through an acquaintance -- I'll bet Ben Barnes is that contact.
Burkett is the perp. He IS the future convicted forger/felon. I am just guessing but I think how he could have gotten to CBS is through Michael Moore. That would be a possible scenario cause if I am correct Burkett was a source for Michael Moore's film. Since Burkett can't get the DNC to pay attention to him he calls Michael Moore who he knows through the film. Moore who will believe anything about Bush, then calls Rather's office. They would certainly be willing to talk to a fellow Bush hater. Hence Rather's stonewalling. To admit the evidence is forgery means he must reveal his source for the documents which would include Michael Moore. This would discredit Moore and his film and hurt Kerry's campaign.
Just a little speculation. There has to be something Rather is hiding about his source. That's the next big angle in this story.
I last saw him about 25 years ago at an all nite dinner in a small East Texas town.
I stumbled in about 2 a.m. At the time he was a Houston Chronicle reporter. He waved me over to a back booth where he was huddled with a recently ousted J.P. who was spilling his guts about law enforcement involvement with marijuana growing and trafficking.
Maybe Glenn Smith did riffle the Guard files and does have some old documents. He might have passed the info to Burkett.
Ed Rollins said earlier in the hour on MSNBC that the docs were with the DNC and that they were actually discussing using the docs in a tv ad. It appears that the coordinated effort of "Operation Fortunate Son" by Terry McAuliffe (using the 60 minutes info) incorporates Ben Barnes, Burkett, and Dan Rather. With Max Cleland in the mix, that directly implicates the DNC and Kerry. Sounds like incestuous political relationships abound!
/snip
Woo hoo!! The DNC had advanced knowledge of the risky forgery scheme. And Kerry's campaign also had advanced knowledge of the Democrat Watergate class dirty tricks. And as all this is going down, they say nothing other than encouraging Rather to blather on with his fraudulent activities. Looks like a criminal conspiracy to bring down a sitting president. Can you say coup attempt?
The DNC and Senator Kerry are in it up to their eyeballs. The only question left is, what did Senator Kerry know and when did he know it?
Who's gonna pardon Kerry?
You know the Dems are involved when they hired a lawyer to make sure that Burkett doesn't talk. If Burkett was a lone gunman so to speak, it would be in their interest for him to take the heat as some kind of John Hinckley with a grudge for the Bushes. Burkett better keep his mouth shut and do what he is told or there could dire consequences. Terry Lenzer and his crew was once sent to Gynnifer Flowers apartment to intimidate her through her roommate. The boys asked her roommate if Gynnifer was the kind of a person who might commit suicide, which was a clever implied threat. Gynnifer had tapes as a insurance policy. Marcia Lewis told Monica to keep the dress because she worried tha Monica might end up like Mary Mahoney. I do not know whether Burkett was wise enough to have an insurance policy like these two did. But Burkett is in over his head. But when you have had two nervous breakdowns, there are a lot of scenarios which could insure that you would never name your conspirators. If Burkett had acted alone, it would be in the Democrats interest to use him as the scapegoat, when they circled the wagons they did so to cover themselves.
More from Burkett in 2003:
http://www.veteransforpeace.org/what_do_you_say_032203.htm
"I had been 'loaned' from the senior staff and state planning officer of the Texas National Guard to the Department of the Army for a series of these special projects after angering George W. Bush by refusing to falsify readiness information and reports; confronting a fraudulent funding scheme which kept 'ghost' soldiers on the books for additional funding, and refusing to alter official personnel records [of George W. Bush]. George W. Bush and his lieutenants were mad."
Further, would it be too much to ask that WAPO and the MSM note that Senator Kerry has not signed his form 180? This is the reason he still has hundreds of pages in his military files no one has seen. Actually, if Senator Kerry signed Form 180 he would put the Swifties out of business since the factual matter debate would soon resolve itself.
Finally, speaking as a physician I am absolutely shocked that Senator Kerry has not released his recent medical records. Remember, this man was treated for carcinoma of the prostate only about 18 months ago. Bob Dole's ca of the prostate was resolved by a radical prostatectomy about 5 years before he was a candidate for President. I note that Senator Kerry has been apparently dehydrated at times, is reported to be taking nutritional supplements to keep his weight up and surely looks flat and tired. Most likely, some of this is due to his flying so much since this can cause both pedal edema and dehydration.
When you add all the mysteries up including we really don't know about his financial status since unlike previous candidates he has not released his and Thresa's recent tax returns we really don't know much about the man. Truly shocking is that the MSM has not followed and demanded these records and findings.
It is impossible to be objective but it is possible to be fair. I appreciate the WAPO making the connection with the Kerry campaign. IMHO, Burkett is a troubled and troubling person who is probably doing better than some months ago.
Anybody know the links to the Yahoo groups for Burketts postings? I'd like to read them.
Curious.
*
This is NOT going to go away. LOL
"He said he had passed his ideas to the Democratic National Committee but that the DNC seemed "afraid to do what I suggest."
So they passed it onto C.B.S.
Kerry has been accusing Bush of "sugar coating" the Iraq situation - that term was used in the memo...
Hmmmm... wonder if this was during the car ride to Crawford when the dirty trickster went to beg the president to call off the Swift Vet boys?
It has already been reported that the Kerry Campaign and/or the DNC had these documents 6 weeks ago. I suspect they "used" Burkett since everyone accepts the fact that he is an official nut case, and planted them with him. He then worked with Democratic operatives in Texas and sent the documents from the very same Kinko's that Dan Rather's daughter attended political meetings with her organization.
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.