[libstripper]

I agree that Burkett was probably the person who either made up the documents or provided their content, especially because they contain a number of pieces of Army jargon instead of Air Force jargon and Burkett was Army National Guard, not AF National Guard. The problem, however, remains of who convinced CBS that Burkett was a good enough source for it to rely on. Burkett is a loon who couldn't carry that burden of persuasion by himself. On his own he probably wouldn't even be able to find people to do it. That leaves Cleland, the DNC, and the Kerry campaign as the persons and entities who, if no more, vouched for Burkett to CBS. That also leaves them as the ones who created the forgeries.

[John Valentine]

Surely, no one connected with the Kerry campaign or the DNC could be consideres an unimpeachable source, either.

Frankly, I tend to the view that there never was a source that was really reliable, only Rather's fevered desire to hurth Bush, come what may.