Posted on 09/26/2004 11:34:22 PM PDT by twntaipan
A Very Brief Interview with Bob Schieffer
*** Exclusive ***
Bob Schieffer was kind enough to grant me a brief, impromptu interview outside of CBS News Studios in Washington, DC.
INDC: "Mr. Schieffer, do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions about the CBS memo scandal?"
Schieffer: "Uh, sure, go ahead."
INDC: "I was just wondering if you had any comment on what you think may happen with this entire (forgery) situation ..."
Schieffer: "Here is all I can tell you: we made a bad mistake. We've admitted we made the mistake, we've appointed some distinguished outside people to help us figure out how not to make that mistake again, and we're gonna have to live with our mistake. [W]hat we have to do ... we've been hurt by this and ... what we have to do is get back our credibility one story at a time, one day at a time. This is not something that we can fix by just turning the light switch on and off. And, uh, it's been a really tough thing for us... both from the standpoint of credibility and emotional. I mean, those of us who work here really love this place and ... we want to fix it and get on with it."
INDC: "Has there been any extreme reaction inside CBS to the allegation that (Mary) Mapes was in contact or collusion with the DNC, or more accurately, with Joe Lockhart?"
Schieffer: "Well, you know, in any political campaign, you're gonna have people on one side that are gonna slip a reporter something because they think it'll hurt the guy on the other side. But the reporter has the responsibility to determine, number one, whether that is true, and number two, to make a judgment as to whether it's in the public interest and whether or not it should be part of the debate. And if you make that judgment, then, uh, that's a legitimate story to do. But to somehow join up with a campaign, that's totally improper. I don't know what happened here; I wanna wait and see what this commission finds out about this before I make a judgment on what happened here, because really that part of it, all I only know about is what I read in the papers. I'm not gonna make a judgment on that yet, but we have no business joining up with a campaign on either side, and saying, 'let's all work together here.' That's not what we're supposed to do."
INDC: "Has this scandal affected you personally, with your impending moderation of one of the (Presidential) debates?"
Schieffer: "Well, there's been some e-mail that says that I should excuse myself ... but both the White House and the Kerry campaign have said that they think that I can do a fair and honest job. So as long as it's ok with them, I think it's ok."
INDC: "Ok, well I'll let you go. Thank you very much for your time."
Schieffer: "Ok, thank you."
Similar thread (CBS in D.C. was Freeped):
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1227959/posts
That's where I got the link--thought the InDC journal article deserved it's own post.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/7583.htm
It is also my understanding that the Schieffer brothers are big baseball fans and their is a connection to George from his Ranger days. I however do not have a link to substantiate that, but if anyone knows anything about it please post.
If they were real men about this and not Girly-men, they would acknowledge what they did, however much it hurts, an dfix it themselves, not hide bahind a "Commission:.
Junior Asparagus--the one on Veggie Tales--is one of my heros. Welcome to FR by the way!
It is their foot. If they can't feel it, then it is just a symptom of the leprosy which has afflicted the MSM for some time.
That's me. Thanks it's good to be here!
It's amazing (not really) how the entire media indicts "Big Business" (Enron, Arthur Anderson, Halliburton), "Big Oil", "Big Tobacco" and any Republican or Christian religious leader (except Jesse and Al Sharpton) of the most venal, criminal and/or political motives when a "scandal" occurs, but Dan Rather and CBS just "made mistakes". Case closed. No big deal.
Excellent point!
I kinda see myself as Larry-Boy. I just wish I was sweeping the nation.
The unmitigated arrogance of these people simply defies all reason. Since when is it the job of reporters to decide if something is in the public interest or whether it is part of the debate? So, if they decide negative stories about Kerry are not in the public interest we are supposed to accept it because they are "reporters." They can kiss my big behind.
1Footnote: In this context, 'it' means undermining America in wartime in such a way as not to be too blatantly obvious about it, as CBS was in Rathergate, slandering the commander-in-chief in wartime in order to make it harder for him to do his job protecting America, and finally, touting a traitor and communist sympathizer in his bid to become President -- in order to destroy the country completely. Just so we all know.
Pssst! Bring in the distinguished outside liars. Our liars need back-up.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.