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Posted on 09/18/2004 7:05:14 AM PDT by badfreeper
Of all the loopy statements made by Dan Rather in the 10 days since he decided to throw his career away, my favorite is this, from Dan's interview with the Washington Post on Thursday:
''If the documents are not what we were led to believe, I'd like to break that story.''
Hel-looooo? Earth to the Lost Planet of Ratheria: You can't ''break that story.'' A guy called ''Buckhead'' did that, on the Free Republic Web site a couple of hours after you and your money-no-object resources-a-go-go ''60 Minutes'' crew attempted to pass off four obvious Microsoft Word documents as authentic 1972 typewritten memos about Bush's skipping latrine duty in the Spanish-American War, or whatever it was.
The following day Charles Johnson of the Little Green Footballs Web site drove a stake through your phony '70s memos by overlaying them with modern MS Word documents, whose automatic word wrap is amazingly an exact match with Lt. Col. Killian's ''typewriter.'' And every document expert agreed with Johnson your memos are junk, including your own analysts.
By now just about everybody on the planet also thinks they're junk, except for that dwindling number of misguided people who watch the ''CBS Evening News'' under the misapprehension that it's a news broadcast rather than a new unreality show in which a cocooned anchor, his floundering news division and some feeble executives are trapped on their own isle of delusion and can't figure out a way to vote themselves off it.
So the only story you're in a position to break right now is: ''Late-Breaking News. Veteran Newsman Announces He's Recovered His Marbles.'' And, if last week's anything to go by, you're in no hurry to do that.
Instead, Dan keeps demanding Bush respond to the ''serious questions'' raised by his fake memos. ''With respect, Mr. President,'' he droned the other day, ''answer the questions.'' The president would love to, but he's doubled up with laughter.
I was prepared to cut the poor old buffoon some slack a week ago. But Dan's performance has grown progressively more outrageous, to the point where it's hard not to conclude he's colluding in the perpetuation of a massive if ludicrous fraud. Dan's been play-acting at being a reporter for so many years now -- the suspenders, the loosened tie, and all the other stuff that would look great if he were auditioning for a cheesy dinner-theater revival of ''The Front Page''; the over-the-top intros: ''Bob Schieffer, one of the best hard-nosed reporters in the business, has been working his sources. What have you managed to uncover for us, Bob?'', after which Bob reads out a DNC press release. Dan's been doing all this so long he doesn't seem to realize the news isn't just a show.
Round about the middle of last week, he was reduced to shoring up his collapsing fantasy with Bill Glennon, a Cliff Claven figure who was a typewriter repairman in the '70s. But, because every other CBS expert had abandoned Dan's sunk ship, Bill suddenly found himself upgraded to ''document expert.'' This guy's been insisting that you could produce Dan's bogus memos on a 1972 IBM typewriter: ''The Model D had a lever that when pushed put a rubber stopper in front of the keys so they did not strike the paper. You centered the paper using the paper scale, put the carriage on the middle mark of the front index scale, typed your heading and then made note of the number it stopped on. You then moved the carriage back to the corresponding number on the left side of the index scale and retyped your heading and . . .''
Yeah, right. Every time I want to type a memo saying Bush is unfit to be president, that's what I do, too. Look, if Dan thinks this guy's theory is correct, let's put him and his IBM Model D and me and my computer in a room at CBS News for an hour and see which one of us emerges with the closest replicas of these four documents. I'll give him ten thousand bucks for every memo he reproduces exactly, and round it up to an even 50 grand if he gets all four right.
Any takers, CBS?
So the question now is why won't Dan and Co. just admit their docs are crocks and let it go? On Wednesday, CBS News head honcho Andrew Heyward, in a slippery statement, announced that ''we established to our satisfaction that the memos were accurate.'' Note that word: not ''genuine'' but ''accurate'' -- i.e., if Lt. Col. Killian had had one of those IBM Model Ds and been willing to remove the carriage return and replace it with a rubber stopper on the front index scale while turning the crank, etc., these are the memos he would have written. Rather and Heyward are adopting the rogue-cop defense: The evidence is planted, but the guy's still guilty. Or as the New York Times' headline put it: ''Memos On Bush Are Fake But Accurate.''
Why has CBS News decided it would rather debauch its brand and treat its audience like morons than simply admit their hoax? For Dan Rather? I doubt it. Hurricane Dan looks like he's been hit by one. He's still standing, just about, but, like a battered double-wide, more and more panels are falling off every day. No one would destroy three-quarters of a century of audience trust and goodwill for one shattered anachronism of an anchorman, would they?
As the network put it last week, ''In accordance with longstanding journalistic ethics, CBS News is not prepared to reveal its confidential sources or the method by which '60 Minutes' Wednesday received the documents.'' But, once they admit the documents are fake, they can no longer claim ''journalistic ethics'' as an excuse to protect their source. There's no legal or First Amendment protection afforded to a man who peddles a fraud. You'd think CBS would be mad as hell to find whoever it was who stitched them up and made them look idiots.
So why aren't they? The only reasonable conclusion is that the source -- or trail of sources -- is even more incriminating than the fake documents. Why else would Heyward and Rather allow the CBS news division to commit slow, public suicide?
Whatever other lessons are drawn from this, we ought at least to acknowledge that the privileged position accorded to ''official'' media and the restrictions placed on the citizenry by McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform are wholly unwarranted.
As for Heyward and Rather, the other day I came across a rare memo from April 20, 1653, typed on a 17th century prototype of the IBM Selectric. It's Oliver Cromwell's words to England's Long Parliament:
''You have sat too long for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say; and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!''
ping for Pokey and Way To Go! for Buckhead
Buckhead was also mentioned this morning on "Fox and Friends". Once again - great job Buckhead!
Donate to Swift Boat Vets for the Truth HERE.
Sign Petition against CBS & Dan Rather HERE.
My Campaign Button Page
and My Toons Page [Updated 9-15 / 10:45PM CST]
I love the Cliff Clavin reference. lmao.
Any takers, CBS?
With all the money CBS makes off of that bet, I'm sure they could afford a really nice going away present for Dan.
Like a handshake. Or maybe a pat on the back.
>>''If the documents are not what we were led to believe, I'd like to break that story.'' You can't ''break that story.'' A guy called ''Buckhead'' did that, on the Free Republic Web site...
LOL. My thoughts exactly after first reading Rather's outrageous comment.
>>Dan's been doing all this so long he doesn't seem to realize the news isn't just a show.
Well, in my opinion, Mr. Steyn the network news really is just a show.
Steyn is fabulous. "The president would love to but he's dubbled up laughing."
| Rather and CBS have made these assertions about their story: Document source is "unimpeachable". Truth: Documents likely provided by mentally unstable individual with a vendetta against George Bush. Individual has admitted to telling falsehoods about George W. Bush in the past. Documents were verified by CBS's "experts". Truth: Two of four experts by CBS raised doubts about documents. Credentials of two other experts are suspect. No expert verified all the documents. Only one signature was verified, but that is in dispute. CBS has quoted a former typewriter repairman to buttress its claims about the documents. The documents are now almost universally considered to be forgeries. Ben Barnes is a credible witness that George W. Bush used political pull to get into the TANG. Truth: Ben Barnes has changed is story over the years. His daughter has accused Ben Barnes of telling a false story for political reasons. Ben Barnes assertions have now been directly contradicted by General Staudt, who selected George Bush for the TANG. Staudt states there was no pressure on him to select George Bush. Staudt also states he put no pressure on Killian as the forged documents claim. Yeah, I can see why Rather and CBS are standing by the story.
|
Bump
A BIG PING for this latest by Steyn. A wonderful lashing of Blather and company.
when you are stuck in the mindset , ABB , stuff happens..
CBS defense of Rather hints at bigger story
Posted by Pitiricus
On News/Activism 09/18/2004 7:09:17 AM PDT · 6 replies · 120+ views
Chicago Sun Times ^ | September 19 2004 | Mark Steyn
Mark Steyn:
CBS defense of Rather hints at bigger story
(FR and Buckhead mentioned)
Posted by badfreeper
On News/Activism 09/18/2004 7:05:14 AM PDT · 10 replies · 234+ views
Chicago Sun-Times ^ | September 19, 2004 | BY MARK STEYN
CBS defense of Rather hints at bigger story
[Freeper Buckhead Scoops Rather!]
Posted by elhombrelibre
On News/Activism 09/18/2004 2:41:25 AM PDT · 147 replies · 3,954+ views
SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST ^ | September 19, 2004 | MARK STEYN
Hear, hear!
> So the question now is why won't Dan and Co. just
> admit their docs are crocks and let it go?
Because Dan was promised the role of "breaking" all the
upcoming October surprises, and he can't do that if he
gets his sorry butt fired.
> The only reasonable conclusion is that the source --
> or trail of sources -- is even more incriminating than
> the fake documents.
That too. Kerry? Clintons? DNC? Moore?
STEYN BUMP!!
They just don't get what is obvious and right there in plain sight for everyone to see.
Sorry about the double post. I'm too used to people putting "Steyn" in the article title and I did my FR search based on that.
Don't forget that Ben Barnes is an official of the Kerry/Edwards campaign in TX. This is the most damning allegation about him because it proves that he has motive to lie about Bush.
I think they think they have something. I noticed Susan Ostrich on Fox yesterday. She was quite subdued and almost sounded pro-Bush. I think sumthin's up.
Or have I just missed it somewhere?
Well, now the spin seems to be "The guy who outed the memos as frauds is a Republican, therefore Dan Rather was right."
Goes along the lines of OJ is innocent because Mark Furhman said the "N" word.
Or, the Swifites are liars because they recieved a donation from a Texas Republican."
Well, his sorry butt is fried right now.
My take on this is that Rathergate WAS to be the October surprise, in conjunction with Kitty Kelley's book making charges of cocaine use.
The DNC talking point to accompany this obviously was "Why didn't he take the physical?" repeated ad nauseum. Even poor old Juan Williams was still reciting this talking point the other night.
Another talking point to be used seems to have been that TANG instituted drug testing in the early '70's. Susan Ostrich was reciting this one a few nights ago.
The obvious conclusion that was to be drawn by the hoi polloi was that he didn't take the physical because he was doing drugs.
The damage done to Kerry's poll numbers by the Swift Boat Vets probably caused the October surprise to be hastily moved into September to try to stop the hemmorraging.
Imagine the effect if this had been rolled out at the last minute like the DUI last time. There would be little time to answer.
And certainly CBS didn't expect the forgery to be unraveled in a few hours.
Thanks, Buckhead.
Laughable indeed. Last night on Fox someone said try telling the IRS that your docs are forged but the content is correct and see what happens !
Burkett, the forger
Barnes, the political hack operative
the Biddy , the pool secretary who at first knew nothing but now claims to know everything
the Bit** producer who put this lying, vicious story together to take down a president
Sounds like a good sitcom.
SL, have you checked on the little kittens?
The documents are fake. Therefore there is no question for the President to answer.
In my company bonuses are awarded for high production numbers. It is not unknown for a supervisor to try to pad their numbers a little to get the bonus. When the padding is discovered the question becomes not, "How did the get such wonderful production numbers?" but "How did this fraud manage to get past the system?" and "Who should be fired?"
Same here. Those questions are now See-BS!'s to answer.
How did the fraud slip by your filters?
Who gets fired?
Only if Rather is so absolutely dominant at CBS News that the whole organization has the Jim Jones syndrome. That's the only scenario I can think of that doesn't involve CBS at least aiding and abetting a felony.
The only reasonable conclusion is that the source -- or trail of sources -- is even more incriminating than the fake documents.
That is EXACTLY the reason why CBS won't reveal their sources. This tells me that the entire operation may have been pre-approved by high-level operatives in both the Democratic National Committee and Senator Kerry's campaign office with a willing accomplice in Dan Rather (who has a personal vendetta against the Bush family); once we find out the truth it will be pretty much "game, set and match" for the Kerry campaign.
"For business reasons, I must preserve the outward sign of sanity."
Mark Twain
It depends on what they mean by "private". I have private files which I keep at the company. They do not go into the public filing and storage. They are mine. Things I did and why it was done that way. Backup in case about 5 years down the road a question is raised.
When I leave the company they will either be destroyed or left with the company. I certainly will not be taking them home with me.
And then there are my personal private files that belong to me and that are not part of company records. Those I will take.
Kind of like "Four Weddings and a Funeral" the Funeral is for CBS and big 'we are God, we will tell you what to think" MSM.
RIP
bttt
Sorry, just woke up and logged in...
Another site from the blogosphere
http://www.corante.com/importance/archives/006222.php
has an interesting take, speaking of CBS quotes.
Sorry for the poor format, I'm a newbie who hasn't
learned the HTML formatting yet ;-) My quoting
is the medium margins, website's quote is tiny margins:
' When contacted, CBS stood by its
story and spokesperson Kelli
Edwards made the following claim
in an email according to WorldNetDaily
(CBS News denies Bush docs forged):
"CBS verified the
authenticity of
the documents by
talking to
individuals who
had seen the
documents at the
time they were written.
These individuals
were close associates
of [Bush commander]
Colonel Jerry Killian
and confirm that the
documents reflect
his opinions
at the time
the documents
were written." '
The website goes on to point out that this _can't_
be Marion Knox. [Then again, maybe it can: if CBS
will JUST ADMIT THAT THE NOTES ARE FAKES!]
Maybe the two "unimpeachable sources" are Knox and Burkett?
Or might it be Dan Rather's daughter and Ben Barnes?
Or just possible George Soros and Michael Moore?
We need to tell RatherGullible (TM) to go FAX himself!
CBS News-All the news that's fit to FAX
CBS News-We report, you deride
CBS News-We get our news from reliable White Horse souses.
This should fit nicely into a 30 second spot on TV.
> The only reasonable conclusion is that the source -- or trail of sources -- is even more incriminating than the fake documents. Why else would Heyward and Rather allow the CBS news division to commit slow, public suicide?
Whatever other lessons are drawn from this, we ought at least to acknowledge that the privileged position accorded to ''official'' media and the restrictions placed on the citizenry by McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform are wholly unwarranted.
As for Heyward and Rather, the other day I came across a rare memo from April 20, 1653, typed on a 17th century prototype of the IBM Selectric. It's Oliver Cromwell's words to England's Long Parliament:
''You have sat too long for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say; and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!''<
MEDIA ETHICS PROJECT SEEKS FCC RULING AGAINST CBS NEWS FOR RATHERGATE
Media Ethics Project (“MEP”) of New York today petitioned the FCC to sanction CBS News and its parent organization, Viacom, Inc., for its recent broadcast of news reports based on forged documents.
In announcing the FCC filing, MEP Chairman William L. Whitely stated: “Most people familiar with Dan Rather’s reports have seen solid evidence from various credible sources showing the documents to be forged. Yet, day in and day out, CBS has stubbornly continued to maintain that the memos are authentic. This supremely arrogant conduct violates the public trust and FCC rules and policies. Viacom cannot be allowed to flaunt the Commission’s rules in this manner. ”
MEP seeks a ruling by the FCC finding that the deliberate actions of CBS and Viacom maintaining the authenticity of the documents, constitute broadcasting of falsified, faked, distorted or staged news reports in violation of e Commission policies. MEP is asking the FCC to sanction Viacom including imposing fines and ordering forfeiture of one or more broadcast licenses .
Mr. Whitely added that, “This whole episode must be regarded as a remarkable failure of management. It is truly sad that the proud traditions of professionalism of CBS News, the division built by the likes of Morrow, Severeid, Reasoner, Mudd and Cronkite, have been allowed to slowly fade away. In their place is an organization where unprincipled ego, bias, negligence, partisanship and vindictiveness apparently determine the setting of management policy. Such changes are not in the best interest of CBS, the CBS affiliates and CBS shareholders, nor, most certainly, are they in the public interest as well. Staying to this course, the House that Paley Built will likely become the Network that Rather Wrecked.”
MEP has asked that the FCC expedite its consideration of the group’s Petition for Declaratory Ruling against CBS News.
See a full copy of the MEP Petition for Declaratory Ruling at http://mediaethicsproject.blogspot.com/ or www.mediaethics.8k.com
With MEP's filing, the FCC now has a formal Petition to review requesting that CBS be found guilty for violating Commission policy prohibiting the broadcasting of falsified, faked, distorted or staged news reports as contrary to the public interest.
All interested parties will now be able to contact the FCC to request that it take immediate action on the MEDIA ETHICS PROJECT Petition For Declaratory Ruling Against CBS News.
FCC Contact Information:
Chairman Michael K. Powell: Michael.Powell@fcc.gov ---
Commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy: Kathleen.Abernathy@fcc.gov --- Commissioner Michael J. Copps: Michael.Copps@fcc.gov ---
Commissioner Kevin J. Martin: KJMWEB@fcc.gov ---
Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein: Jonathan.Adelstein@fcc.gov
Yeah, right. Every time I want to type a memo saying Bush is unfit to be president, that's what I do, too.
LMAO...
You wrote:
"CBS case at this point is based on the four "B's": ..."
Or (apologies to C.S. Lewis)
The Chronicles of Ninny-a
"The Liar, The B*tch, and the War Room"
(reference to Clintons' media team...)
MEDIA ETHICS PROJECT SEEKS FCC RULING AGAINST CBS NEWS FOR RATHERGATE
Media Ethics Project (“MEP”) of New York today petitioned the FCC to sanction CBS News and its parent organization, Viacom, Inc., for its recent broadcast of news reports based on forged documents.
In announcing the FCC filing, MEP Chairman William L. Whitely stated: “Most people familiar with Dan Rather’s reports have seen solid evidence from various credible sources showing the documents to be forged. Yet, day in and day out, CBS has stubbornly continued to maintain that the memos are authentic. This supremely arrogant conduct violates the public trust and FCC rules and policies. Viacom cannot be allowed to flaunt the Commission’s rules in this manner. ”
MEP seeks a ruling by the FCC finding that the deliberate actions of CBS and Viacom maintaining the authenticity of the documents, constitute broadcasting of falsified, faked, distorted or staged news reports in violation of e Commission policies. MEP is asking the FCC to sanction Viacom including imposing fines and ordering forfeiture of one or more broadcast licenses .
Mr. Whitely added that, “This whole episode must be regarded as a remarkable failure of management. It is truly sad that the proud traditions of professionalism of CBS News, the division built by the likes of Morrow, Severeid, Reasoner, Mudd and Cronkite, have been allowed to slowly fade away. In their place is an organization where unprincipled ego, bias, negligence, partisanship and vindictiveness apparently determine the setting of management policy. Such changes are not in the best interest of CBS, the CBS affiliates and CBS shareholders, nor, most certainly, are they in the public interest as well. Staying to this course, the House that Paley Built will likely become the Network that Rather Wrecked.”
MEP has asked that the FCC expedite its consideration of the group’s Petition for Declaratory Ruling against CBS News.
See a full copy of the MEP Petition for Declaratory Ruling at http://mediaethicsproject.blogspot.com/ or www.mediaethics.8k.com
With MEP's filing, the FCC now has a formal Petition to review requesting that CBS be found guilty for violating Commission policy prohibiting the broadcasting of falsified, faked, distorted or staged news reports as contrary to the public interest.
All interested parties will now be able to contact the FCC to request that it take immediate action on the MEDIA ETHICS PROJECT Petition For Declaratory Ruling Against CBS News.
FCC Contact Information:
Chairman Michael K. Powell: Michael.Powell@fcc.gov ---
Commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy: Kathleen.Abernathy@fcc.gov --- Commissioner Michael J. Copps: Michael.Copps@fcc.gov ---
Commissioner Kevin J. Martin: KJMWEB@fcc.gov ---
Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein: Jonathan.Adelstein@fcc.gov
LOL. That about sums it up.
Can't f'ing believe CBS is gonna let Rather's head get kicked around for another weekend news cycle. It's like Christmas every morning when I get up.
Amen!
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