Rather-Gate: List of Events UPDATED

www.polidock.com ^ | 09/21/2004 | hobson

[hobson]

Date of Event or Article	Individuals	Links and Sources	Quotes and Comments
09/20/2004	Joe Lockhart	The Kerry Spot on National Review Online Kerry Aide Talked to Retired Guard Officer	"So what's going on here? Okay, according to what's being pieced together, Burkett wanted to play Kerry campaign strategist, and to get the bigwigs at the Kerry campaign to use his memos that he, apparently, thought would be convincing. Mapes (presuming this female producer Lockhart is talking about is Mapes) wanted the memos. Burkett offers to trade the memos for an introduction to the Kerry campaign. Mapes calls the Kerry camp and eventually reaches Lockhart. Lockhart agrees to the favor, since when a "60 Minutes" producer asks you for a favor, you do it. (Building good relations with the press and all that.) Lockhart talks with Burkett... " "Lockhart said Mapes asked him the weekend before the story broke to call Burkett. ... Mapes told him there were some records "that might move the story forward. She didn't tell me what they said.""
09/20/2004	Kerry Campaign	Fox News - Carl Cameron	Carl Cameron that Kerry was pushing this 60 Minutes piece as a "must see" to his traveling press.
09/17/2004	Bill Burkett	ratherbiased.com Number 14	"But since I've been in the eye of this storm since June of 1997, let me just say that probably the most complete information came first from Martin Heldt, and lately from Paul Lukusiak and you can find their website information by Googling their names. Bob Fertik at Democrats.com has most of this posted on his website."
09/10/2004	James C. Moore	find this transcript and link	CBS - Dan Rather interviews James C. Moore as authority on Bush's guard record RATHER: You've studied president Bush's records for 10 years. Are these documents consistent with the record as you know it? MOORE: They are absolutely consistent with the records as I know it. RATHER: Put it in context and perspective for us the story and what we call the counterattack on the story. Where are we right now? MOORE: I think what has happened is some incriminating documents have come out. The white house, you should remember, has not discredited the documents. they're relying on the blogosphere and other people to do that. Because the White House probably knows these documents are in fact real. Interest choice of words given what we know today.
09/09/2004	Tom Harkins	Valid Questions or 'Character Assassination'?	"So when George Bush, in the Oval Office earlier this year, said 'I did my duty,' I'm sorry, we now know he didn't do his duty," said Harkin, who told reporters Thursday that Bush "lied to the American people."
09/08/2004	Ben Barnes	Dan Rather interview	Tells Dan Rather he recommended George W. Bush for TANG. Vice Chair of Texas Kerry Campaign 30 year friendship with Dan Rather Nantucket neighbor of John Kerry
09/08/2004	Boston Globle	Here Is Why The Boston Globe Guard Piece is a Smear Bid cited to boost Bush in Guard	Immediately following Dan Rather's interview the Boston Globe Boston Globe article is what it is. Tragic.
09/08/2004	Dan Rather	CBS News: A Source of Contention	"Burkett told a visitor that after the story ran, Rather phoned him and expressed his and the network's "full support.""
09/08/2004	Kerry Campaign	Dems take chance with 'Fortunate Son' slam	"Seizing on 30-year-old memos and memories, Sen. John Kerry's operatives are painting an unflattering portrait of President Bush as the "fortunate son" who used family connections to dodge the Vietnam War and then lied about it."
09/05/2004  *	Bill Burkett	CBS News: A Source of Contention	Three days before the broadcast, Burkett e-mailed a friend that there was "a real heavy situation regarding Bush's records" about to break. "He was having a lot of fun with this," said the friend, Dennis Adams. Burkett told a visitor that after the story ran, Rather phoned him and expressed his and the network's "full support.
09/05/2004	Dan Rather	In Rush to Air, BS Quashed Memo Worries	Rather was in Florida, so CBS chartered a plane to get him to Austin. On Sunday, Sept. 5, he and Mapes interviewed Robert Strong
09/05/2004	Dan Rather	In Rush to Air, CBS Quashed Memo Worries	"Rather was in Florida, so CBS chartered a plane to get him to Austin. On Sunday, Sept. 5, he and Mapes interviewed Robert Strong"
09/05/2004	Robert Strong	CBS Guard Documents Traced to Tex. Kinko's	"Robert Strong, who was one of three people interviewed by "60 Minutes," said he was shown copies of the documents by CBS anchor Dan Rather and producer Mary Mapes on Sept. 5, three days before the broadcast. He said at least one of the documents bore the faxed header "Kinko's Abilene.""
09/04/2004	Bill Burkett	Parallels Drawn Between CBS Memos, Texan's Postings	"hinted knowledge of explosive detail"  (yahoo group)
09/03/2004	Bill Burkett	ratherbiased.com Number 12	I spent some time on the phone with the Kerry campaign seniors yesterday after having to threaten to whip a little ass in order to get through seven layers of bureaucratic kids trying to get a job after the election. I talked with Max Clelend.
09/03/2004	Bill Burkett	ratherbiased.com Number 2	"I would strongly suggest that there be an IMMEDIATE message campaign begun. "
09/03/2004	Mary Mapes	In Rush to Air, CBS Quashed Memo Worries	"Pay Dirt"  "her source had given her the documents" She tells Josh Howard she has the memos in hand In an interview with Talon News, Don Mapes said his suspicion was because that he believed, "Dan Rather and she have been working on this ever since Bush was elected."
09/02/2004	Dan Rather	In Rush to Air, CBS Quashed Memo Worries	"During the Republican National Convention in New York, Rather got a call from Ben Barnes , a onetime Texas lieutenant governor and veteran Democrat who has known the anchor, a former Houston TV reporter, for 30 years. Barnes said he was ready to say before the cameras that he had pulled strings to get Bush a coveted slot in the Texas Guard in 1968. Mapes had long been urging Barnes to tell his story."
08/31/2004	Bill Burkett	ratherbiased.com Number 1	"Many of us have risked everything on this election. And the disappointment is deep and difficult to manage. "
08/28/2004	CBS News	Ex-Honcho: I Got Bush Into Guard	"(CBS/AP) In a video posted on the Internet, former Texas Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes, a Democrat, says he is ashamed that he helped President Bush and the sons of other wealthy families get into the Texas Air National Guard in 1968 so they could avoid serving in Vietnam." Interesting, Barnes called Dan Rather during RNC convention but CBS was reporting Barnes' in August.
08/27/2004  *	Bill Burkett	Parallels Drawn Between CBS Memos, Texan's Postings	In e-mail messages to a Yahoo discussion group for Texas Democrats, Burkett laid out a rationale for using what he termed "down and dirty" tactics against Bush. He said that he had passed his ideas to the Democratic National Committee but that the DNC seemed "afraid to do what I suggest."
08/27/2004 approx	Mary Mapes	Rather Admits 'Mistake in Judgment'	"Mapes also put Burkett in touch with a senior official in John F. Kerry's presidential campaign after telling him that Burkett had been "helpful" on what was then CBS's upcoming story about Bush and the National Guard. The Kerry campaign confirmed her unusual go-between role but said Burkett provided no information about Bush."
08/25/2004	Bill Burkett	ratherbiased.com	Posted to TexasDemocrats2 that Bush records "are reassembled".
08/25/2004	Greaterdemocracy.org	Hosts video	Jock Gill and Jon Lebkowsky - Blog Team Host for Ben Barnes video Jock Gill was "technology wonk" in the communications department for President Clinton
08/25/2004	Max Cleland	Cleland Tries to Deliver Letter to Bush
08/21/2004	Bill Burkett	ratherbiased.com Number 8	"In the election of Senator Saxby Chambliss, Max Cleland, admits today that he allowed the absolutely criminal charges of comparison of himself to vile figures and thought the people would be smart and big enough to overcome it. He got so far down from not answering those mistakes and from waiting for a complaint to the FEC to take shape that he lost his momentum and ultimately the race. "
08/21/2004	Bill Burkett	ratherbiased.com	"I spent some time on the phone with the Kerry campaign seniors yesterday after having to threaten to whip a little ass in order to get through seven layers of bureaucratic kids trying to get a job after the election. I talked with Max Clelend. "
08/20/2004	Bill Burkett	Parallels Drawn Between CBS Memos, Texan's Postings	"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."
08/20/2004	Max Cleland	Parallels Drawn Between CBS Memos, Texan's Postings	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."
08/15/2004	Mary Mapes	In Rush to Air, CBS Quashed Memo Worries	Mid August, Mapes informs bosses she has "access" to memos written in '72 and '73 by LT Col. J. Killian
08/13/2004	Bill Burkett	Did Burkett Tip his hand?	"I have found no documentation from LTC Killian's hand or staff that indicate that this unit was involved in any complicit way to either cover for the failures of 1LT Bush, or to provide him pay or certification for training not completed."  http://www.democrats.com/view.cfm?id=23055
08/07/2004	Bill Burkett	ratherbiased.com	spoke of "preemptive strike" in post at TexasDemocrats2 news group
08/07/2004	Bill Burkett	ratherbiased.com	You heard it here. Bush has released all the files he has concerning his service. But he has not released the files which document why he was grounded from flying. The Bush people know they are 'out there' and could come forward. This is a pre-emptive political strike.
06/24/2004	www.austin4kerry.org	Video	Michael and Todd Phelan are volunteers for the Kerry campaign who organize and host events.  Todd Phelan is an organizer for Travis County Democratic party.
05/25/2004	Ben Barnes	Austin4Kerry.org.	Barnes recanted testimony he had previously given under oath in a video produced by Michael Nicholson and Todd Phelan of Austin4Kerry.org Ben Barnes is also an active supporter of Travis County Democratic Party.  For more on Barnes see Who is Ben Barnes?
05/04/2004	CBS News	Gaps Remain in Bush Guard Service	Moore was used as source for this article by CBS reporter Beth Lester The article points out that "The Kerry campaign thinks it has a winner with this issue. " and that "the Kerry campaign sent out a press release titled Key Unanswered Questions:
05/04/2004	James C. Moore	Gaps Remain in Bush Guard Service.	[EDIT]Moore's speculations, " ... there was a drug or alcohol induced reason for Mr. Bush's absence that he and his superiors wanted to avoid publicizing."
04/27/2004	James C. Moore	Bush's Flight from the Guard	In an article dated April 27, 2004 for salon.com titled Bush's Flight from the Guard (Alternate Link), Moore says, "I leaked Burkett's story to the national media shortly after filmmaker Michael Moore described the president as a "deserter" and set off a furor".
04/27/2004	Kerry Campaign	Key Unanswered Questions: Bush's Record in The National Guard.	Questions seem to telegraph the same qestions asked in 60 Minutes II story. Reference to "verbal orders" to recommend Bush's suspension from flying.
04/04/2004	Dan Rather	Rather Spoke at Democratic Fundraiser	Dan Rather is connected to the the Travis County Democratic Party through his daughter, Robin Rather. She is an organizer and fund raiser for Democratic causes and the Kerry campaign. Dan Rather was the featured speaker at one of the events she organized. Robin Rather is or has been chair-person of several environmental groups.
03/01/2004  *	Bill Burkett	CBS backs off Guard story (9/21/2004)	"Burkett said he arranged to get the documents during a trip to Houston for a livestock show in March. But instead of being met at the show by Ramirez, he was approached by a man who asked for Burkett, handed him an envelope and quickly left, Burkett recounted." Burkett then drove to Waco, copied the documents and burned the originals.
02/21/2004	James C. Moore	Bush's Brain	Former CBS KHOU TV reporter and author of Bush's Brain, James C. Moore, was the first to question Bush's guard record in a 1994 debate with Anne Richards. Moore admits," Ever since asking Bush that question almost a decade ago, I have been obsessed with finding the truth" . Moore ratcheted up his efforts beginning in February 2004. His new book "Bush's Brain: How Karl Rove Made Bush Presidential" was first published on February 21, 2004.
02/17/2004	Bill Burkett	The Fried Man	Interesting background on Burkett
02/13/2004	CBS News	Guardsmen Differ On Bush Service	CBS News reporter John Roberts quotes Burkett and refers to Moore book.
02/11/2004	James C. Moore	Clear the air, Mr Bush	They have an approach that is arguing the president would not have been given an honorable discharge had he not completed his service. This is hardly true. The National Guard is, and always has been, a political operation. The “champagne unit” in Houston, where Bush served, was run by a commander who filled the air wing with the sons of politicians..."" He got in with privilege, and then unilaterally decided to walk away to Alabama.
02/02/2004	James C. Moore	"Russert's Near Miss"	"In fact, Col. Buck Staudt was not in the office the day Bush enlisted, so he staged a swearing-in ceremony at a later time and invited Houston reporters. Staudt also missed Bush’s promotion to 2nd Lt., and decided to stage another photo op with Bush’s father, the congressman. It doesn’t take a great leap of faith to assume Staudt would engineer an “honorable discharge” to help the Bush family avoid embarrassment over their son’s disappearance from duty."
	Davis Van Os	Biography	Bill Burkett's attorney Current Candidate for Supreme Court of Texas Represented Al Gore in FL recount
* Date of event referenced in article. (when possible)

[hobson]

Comments and suggestions welcome.

[mabelkitty]

The Hill reported that the DNC Fortunate Son ad, featuring the forgeries, was released to the press by Terry McAuliffe on July 20.
You can find that link on the Was the DNC Involved thread here.

That means earlier colussion by CBS/DNC than they are admitting.

[Bonaparte]

You two continue to do a marvelous job! Thankyou!

It's the beginning of the end for CBS news division. Mapes was go-between, ie. co-conspirator, with kerry campaign operatives and Burkett. Bu'bye CBS.

[JesseJane]

Great work....

Heard today Sean Hannity repeating some of the same language used on Freep threads about this... "peeling back the onion", getting phone records...

Sean... do me a favor, shut up when people are trying to tell you something new.. You can always share stories about YOU later. Your getting "o'reilly-ish".. stop it.

[PretzeLogic]

Research supporting the Documents for Access chart can be found in this thread.

If you want off this ping then FreepMail me.

[hobson]

I can't seem to find what you are talking about. It could have something to do with my lack of sleep.

Do you have a link?

[hobson]

Link Correction: 8/25/2004 Bill Burkett - reference to "reassembled" documents: http://www.onlinejournal.com/Commentary/082504Burkett/082504burkett.html

[dano1]

This is a great compilation. I will look it over more carefully. One comment off the top is that you may wish to reorder the events of 9/3/04. IMHO the conversation between Burkett and Cleland was a precursor to Mapes receiving the documents, so you may wish to place it lower on the same day.

It would also be interesting to know when Hodges was interviewed. I suspect it may have been before the docs were faxed, indicating that someone had teased CBS with the content of the docs before they were handed over.

It would also be great to know when the conversation between Lockhart and Burkett took place, as that too may have been a precursor to the actual handing over of the docs.

[IDontLikeToPayTaxes]

I thought there was a consolidated FR thread with all this stuff.

[GOPJ]

Thanks.

[hobson]

Excellent observations! We will check into it.

[hobson]

I created this list from research I did and posted on FR last week. I added the table layout and additional info.

[bt_dooftlook]

Let's be careful there - that's not quite what I found in "The Hill":

Back on July 20 — before the Swift boat campaign got under way — McAuliffe held a conference call with reporters to announce that, from that day forward, Democrats would devote a great deal of time and energy to exposing Bush’s Guard record.

“It is time Bush came clean with the American people about what he was doing during the Vietnam War,” McAuliffe said.

At the time, it seemed a little odd. The Guard issue had been thoroughly aired during the Democratic primaries, when McAuliffe called the president “AWOL,” and filmmaker Michael Moore — perhaps the most popular Democrat among the party’s base — called him a “deserter.”

The issue flared again briefly in April, when Kerry himself took a few whacks at Bush’s service.

But in July, things seemed quiet on the military-records front. There were few Democratic attacks on Bush’s service, and no Swift Boat Veterans for Truth attacks on Kerry.

That’s why McAuliffe’s announcement seemed a bit out of place. On the conference call, McAuliffe made it clear that he intended to press the issue every day of the campaign.

He even announced the creation of a new website, democrats.org/wherewasbush. Fast forward to Tuesday. “Bush has stubbornly refused to come clean” about his record, McAuliffe said as he unveiled “Operation: Fortunate Son.”

[dano1]

I checked the date of the CBS call to Hodges, and it was after CBS had the documents. The Denver Post reported that;

"Retired Major Gen. Bobby Hodges, said to be a key source on the "60 Minutes" story, said CBS called only two days before the program to discuss the content of the documents but never showed them to him. "

So I guess that would have been on Monday.

[ClancyJ]

Monday would have been Labor Day - would Rather call on Labor Day?

[sonofatpatcher2]

Super job! All I can add is Dan's search for Lucy...

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 9-21 / 4:30AM CST]

[Mo1]

bttt

[dano1]

The Washington Post is reporting in their Wednesday story that:

"Burkett has said he had an "understanding" with CBS that he would provide the documents in exchange for help reaching Lockhart."

(Is this new? I haven't seen this reported elsewhere.)

So maybe Burkett did wait for a green light from the Dems before faxing the documents.

[Lurking in Kansas]

Thanks for the ping...

Great work hobson!

[GOPJ]

bump