Posted on 09/20/2004 9:34:42 AM PDT by SmithPatterson
What insult?
You do know what a wag is don't you?
Okay. Thanks. I made that the first night of the DNC Cornvention.
Regrets? Really? Who got fired? What does it take to get fired at CBS? Oh, that's right, we know the answer to that one: Question Dan Rather's judgment, integrity or sanity.
Yikes, I have been keeping track of this story fairly closely (although work is in the way today) and I didn't know the CBS memos were in an ad made in July. Last I had read the memos were received by CBS rather late.
The fact that they were faxed from the Abilene Kinkos makes it virtually certain that CBS is telling the truth about Burkett giving them the memos. That doesn't mean that the Kerry campaign wasn't involved (the release of the memos and the start of the Fortunate Son offensive occuring at the same time is too much coincidence for me) it just means that Burkett did the faxing.
Fine Dan; now quit.
"We regret that we were caught."
1. Burkett calls Cleland and offers the docs. Cleland says he'll get back to him, does, and they coordinate the release of the memos with the release of the Dems Fortunate Son material and anti-Cheney ads.
2. Burkett calls Cleland and offers the docs. Cleland says he'll get back to him and never does. Frustrated as Kerry sinks in the polls, Burkett decides to take matters into his own hands and call CBS. Hearing about the upcoming 60 Minutes broadcast and believing Burkett might actually have something, the Dems decide to strike with Fortunate Son while the iron is hot.
Here's the fun part: Even if option 2 is the truth and the Kerry campaign wasn't working hand in hand with Burkett, we already have a "web of connections" between him and the Kerry camp with as many strands in it as the "web" connecting Bush-Cheney 04 with the Swiftees. Further investigation will only reveal more.
Check it: Swiftee to Bush "connections:"
Rich GOP Texas donor (What was his name, Rick Perry?)
Ken Cordier worked for the campaign and was in the "Sellout" ad.
Minor campaign lawyer also worked for Swiftees.
Burkett-Kerry-CBS web:
Burkett contacts Cleland about memos, and tells other Dems Cleland is interested.
"Killian's secretary" is a Bush-hating Dem.
Ben Barnes is a Kerry campaign Vice Chairman.
Rather raises money for Texas Dems.
Fortunate Son debuts right at the time the memos are used by CBS.
And some may not call this a "connection," but:
CBS ignored several people close to Killian and several of Dubya's squadron mates to run this story, and they did not employ a single accredited document expert. This means that they were going to run the story ASAP and without caring much about the facts. That means to me that they are de facto Kerry campaigners whether there is real coordination or not.
Yeah, J.G. Burkett caught them on another Vietnam thing, they ran a documentary about Vietnam vets, portraying them as the dregs of society, and it turned out that only one of the nine featured vets had actually been in Vietnam. All Burkett had to do to confirm this was file a FOIA request. CBS said, "We stand by our story."
Well hi, Onyx, how the heck are you?! Good to hear from you. I agree with your point of view: Rather and CBS were not duped. They were willing, malicious participants. It's hardly the first time a news organization has done such a thing, and it won't be the last. The difference with this particular case is: (1) the target was a popular president in the middle of a reelection campaign, and (2) the internet, which has finally leveled the playing field somewhat between average people and the so-called mainstream news media.
CBS and Rather still have not outright admitted that the documents are forgeries. Not even Burkett is telling the truth. He claims he got the memos from some unnamed source. How convenient. So everyone was duped. You'd like they'd all descend on the original source (if it isn't Burkett) like a pack of jackals, but they won't.
You're right, I hadnt thought that far ahead. Maybe gomer made the contact, and had burkett fax it in ?
Definitely possible. It would not surprise me at all if Cleland had a meeting with Burkett when he was down in Texas to do his publicity stunt at the ranch in Crawford, and it wouldn't surprise me if there was no contact. But this needs to be investigated further...
I think Cleland got had by Burkett in the same way General Hodges got had: Somebody on the other end of the phone tells him, "I've got these great, absolutely authentic documents that prove Bush was AWOL" and he doesn't even think to doubt it. In Hodges' case he didn't doubt it because CBS is a top news organization. Cleland probably didn't doubt it because he hates Bush and was ready to believe the guy was a coward, not anything like the endlessly brave and picked-on Max Cleland.
I've got to admit, the same thought occurred to me.
Hey does that come in a wallpaper size??? LOL
CBS finally HAD to admit it lied. According to Blow O'Reilly's comments the other day, he said "what Rather did is no different than what Bush did with the WMD."
There is a HUGE difference and BLOWRIELLY KNOWS that!!!
The last year or two, I don't recognize Bill O'Reilly anymore.
That is why I didn't include him inTHIS pic.I think someone has hijacked his mind.
I like EVERYONE in that pic, Meek....they truly represent what FOX is about at its core.
And I don't recognize blowReilly anymore, either. His mind has been hijacked by his pride and overcome by his arrogance, IMHO.
In other words, they know who the source is but they have not gotten (or, more likely, will not get) a confirmation of who the source is.
Very slippery ground here; they can hide behind the 'need to verify' the identity of the source, but if they choose not to ask for verification from a second or third party, they can't name the source.
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