Posted on 09/20/2004 5:32:23 PM PDT by Dont Mention the War
Posted on Mon, Sep. 20, 2004
NEW YORK - At the behest of CBS, an adviser to John Kerry said he talked to a central figure in the controversy over President Bush's National Guard service shortly before disputed documents were released.
Joe Lockhart denied any connection between the presidential campaign and the papers. Lockhart, the second Kerry ally to confirm contact with retired Texas National Guard officer Bill Burkett, said he made the call at the suggestion of CBS producer Mary Mapes.
"He had some advice on how to deal with the Vietnam issue and the Swift boat" allegations, Lockhart said Monday, referring to GOP-fueled accusations that Kerry exaggerated his Vietnam War record. "He said these guys play tough and we have to put the Vietnam experience into context and have Kerry talk about it more."
Lockhart said he thanked Burkett for his advice after a three to four minute call.
Lockhart said he does not recall talking to Burkett about Bush's Guard records. "It's baseless to say the Kerry campaign had anything to do with this," he said.
CBS News apologized Monday for a "mistake in judgment" in its story questioning Bush's Guard service, claiming it was misled by the source of documents that several experts have dismissed as fakes.
Burkett admitted this weekend to CBS that he lied about obtaining the documents from another former National Guard member, the network said. CBS hasn't been able to conclusively tell how he got them, or even whether they're fakes or not.
Kerry ally Max Cleland, a former Georgia senator, also said he had a brief conversation last month with Burkett, who told him he had information about Bush to counter charges against Kerry's Vietnam War service. Cleland said he gave Burkett's name and phone number to the campaign's research department.
Kerry spokesman David Ginsberg said nobody in the campaign's research department followed up on Burkett's offer of information.
Lockhart said Mapes asked him the weekend before the story broke to call Burkett. "She basically said there's a guy who is being helpful on the story who wants to talk to you," Lockhart said, adding that it was common knowledge that CBS was working on a story raising questions about Bush's Guard service. Mapes told him there were some records "that might move the story forward. She didn't tell me what they said."
The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
I doubt it.
Would be the first time I've ever seen a rat suffer any consequences for unethical behavior.
Didn't Carl also mention that the Kerry Camp was pushing the CBS report as a mush see TV way before it was aired?
But Joe had sex with Mary.
Honestly, I thought this thing would now die out, but it appears that, in fact, the friends of Francois have their fingers in this . . . or do I detect a Clinton moment?
Hewitt's on it.
EUWWWWW!
Blatant lies.
Check the archives in various newspapers for Kerry campaign press releases. They were pushing stories about the President's TANG service as far back as August.
This was exactly the time frame when Burkette was boasting he'd contacted Cleland about some information about the President for a 'counterattack'.
They are lying. Whenever they open their mouths.
As Rush says......*All roads lead to the DNC*......
I can't believe Burkett was a career military officer...makes me want to puke that someone gave that idiot the oath. Imagine going down in American history in this guy's shoes...former officer, and retired vet who got the national spotlight for being a pathological liar, stupid enough to get caught forging documents to smear the President and for atttempting to defraud the American people.
Hey Lockhart, why not also disclose the phone calls between you and Clintons (both of them) regarding this matter? Go ahead - you'll feel better.
"Kerry campaign was ready with their "fortunate son" advertisements."
And they continue to run with this because they blew a large portion of their budget allowed under "Campaign Finance Reform," and they can't just drop it now. (Also the Dems pay their "creative folks" only if the ads run, not to merely come up with the ideas).
Lockhart pulls off the rare Double Weasel in one paragraph! First, he claims that he "does not recall" talking to Burkett about the documents. Right. The biggest story in the campaign, perhaps in Lockhart's political life, a conversation that occured recently, and Lockhart "does not recall." Right. Next, a non-denial denial: "it's baseless to say" Kerry was involved. That is so far short of "we had absolutely nothing to do with it." Sounds more like: you don't have any hard evidence. Yet.
Correction! Collusion between CBS and The Clintons! :-)
Open warfare in the Kerry Camp.....someone(nope not Mary Beth Cahill) leaked the fact that Joe Lockhart talked with Burkett and Mapes.
The long knives are out..
someone just threw Lockhart into the tar pit....LOL!
Yeah, that's pretty much my reaction to this story as well. It sounds like Ms. Mapes was giving advice to the Kerry campaign at the same time she was working for CBS news. That's very odd.
Or maybe it's not odd -- maybe lots of "reporters" in the MSM are working with the Kerry campaign on the side.
http://www.metronewyork.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/9879/
The embattled Kerry campaign enlists Hillary Clinton strategist Howard Wolfson.
Finding himself in the underdog position yet again, John Kerry has brought in Clintonites like Howard Wolfson, architect of Hillary’s Senate victory. Since the consultant’s arrival in D.C. last week, the Kerry camp has gone on the attack, accusing the president of being awol during his National Guard duty. Jada Yuan spoke to Wolfson by phone.
So, when did the campaign approach you?
I got a call from the communications director, Stephanie Cutter, two weeks ago while I was having dinner in Nantucket, on vacation, asking me to come onboard. And then from somebody who had worked at the Clinton White House.
So you’re not at Kerry’s headquarters?
I’m at the DNC. I visit the offices from time to time. But there’s a lot of instant messaging. I love IM. I live my life on IM.
What are you in a position to do now?
This week, we’ve been holding George Bush accountable for his lies over his National Guard service, and we’ve been very aggressive about that. I make no apologies for that.
From the September 20, 2004 issue of New York Magazine.
HAHAHAHAHA! That was a good one!
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