Mapes' Mother-of-all-Rants

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

How can I put this nicely? Mary Mapes [file photo] has reality "issues." Three years after she was exposed for having perpetrated one of the worst frauds in the history of presidential-campaign journalism, she continues to paint herself as the victim of a right-wing conspiracy. And incredibly, despite a mountain of incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, she clings to the notion that the blatantly forged documents at the heart of the Memogate story were authentic.

Mapes's meltdown-in-the-guise-of-a-column appeared in yesterday's Huffington Post. Excerpts from the metaphor-gone-wild "Courage for Dan Rather" [emphasis added]:

• [We] reaped a whirlwind of right-wing outrage and talk radio retaliation. That part of the assault on our story was not unexpected. In September 2004, anyone who had the audacity to even ask impertinent questions about the president was certain to be figuratively kicked in the head by the usual suspects.
• What was different in our case was the brand new and bruising power of the conservative blogosphere, particularly the extremists among them. They formed a tightly knit community of keyboard assault artists who saw themselves as avenging angels of the right, determined to root out and decimate anything they believed to be disruptive to their worldview.
• They organized, with the help of longtime well-connected Republican activists, and began their assault.
• Actually, we had done a straightforward, well-substantiated story.
• And we showed for the first time a cache of documents allegedly written by Bush's former commander . . . We reported that since these documents were copies, not originals, they could not be fully authenticated, at least not in the legal sense. They could not be subjected to tests to determine the age of the paper or the ink. We did get corroboration on the content and support from a couple of longtime document analysts saying they saw nothing indicating that the memos were not real.
• Instantly, the far right blogosphere bully boys pronounced themselves experts on document analysis, and began attacking the form and font in the memos. They screamed objections that ultimately proved to have no basis in fact. But they captured the argument. They dominated the discussion by churning out gigabytes of mind-numbing internet dissertations about the typeface in the memos, focusing on the curl at the end of the "a," the dip on the top of the "t," the spacing, the superscript, which typewriters were used in the military in 1972.
• It was a deceptive approach, and it worked.
• [A]t 75 years old, Rather still has more reportorial testosterone than the entire employee roster at FOX News. It is a tremendous injustice to journalism that he has to go to court to be treated with respect.
• Courage, buddy. Courage to us all.

As over-the-top as these excerpts are, I encourage you to view the entire column: there's much more, and read as a whole the picture emerges of a deeply-disturbed woman.

A few comments on the specifics:

• "[The documents] could not be fully authenticated."

Too true, Mary. But they could be thoroughly discredited and demonstrated to be amateurish forgeries, as they were within hours.

• "We did get corroboration on the content and support from a couple of longtime document analysts saying they saw nothing indicating that the memos were not real."

Corrobation on the content? Fake-but-accurate rides again! And "support" from whom? Certainly not from forensic document analysts. Not even from avid amateurs, who within hours of the story's airing were able to conclusively demonstrate that the documents in question could not have been created in the '70s and had obviously been prepared by computer.

• "[T]he far right blogosphere bully boys pronounced themselves experts on document analysis, and began attacking the form and font in the memos. They screamed objections that ultimately proved to have no basis in fact."

No basis in fact? I challenge Mapes to debunk this "Little Green Footballs" item of September 10, 2004. The author overlays the infamous "CYA" Memogate document on a Word document he created. It's not just a good fit. Not merely a close fit. It is an absolutely perfect, down to the last jot-and-tittle fit. Mapes has no basis in reality.

What's ultimately most revealing is that Mapes, with her obvious extreme animus toward the right, had a long career at CBS News as a top producer for Rather, the network's leading newsman. While Memogate ultimately outed her, how many hundreds, thousands, of stories did she shape over the years to suit the intensely partisan sentiments that she displays here?

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Incredible Mapes rant, still defending Rathergate docs. Ping to Today show list.

[Uncle Ike]

Hmmmmmmm....

‘Mary Mapes’ and ‘mother’ are two words I never expected to ever see in the same sentence.....

[RobFromGa]

good find, glgb

The left always tries to rewrite history and this is clearly what Mapes is trying to do here. No one who understands the story would buy a word of this bilge, so she is talking directly to the uninformed and trying to shape their view.

[Carolinamom]

There’s a delightfully humorous article in the American Spectator today about her cohort/boss: “Rather Gets a New Suit”.

[Carbonado]

The MSM Lib filth being exposed for the lying, disreptuable scum they are and and getting what they deserve is unusual to say the least.

To paraphrase a Lefty professor, what we need is “a million more Rathergates”.

Now if only the true conservatives in elected office would just stand up and say what needs to be said without worrying about what the Lib filth in the MSM will say about them the tide would turn much faster.

[ontap]

She and Rather conspired to bring down a President. Since Rather and the rest of his ilk succeeded with bringing down Richard Nixon it has become the favorite tact of the MSM and Democrats, hearing, special prosecutors ,out of control DA’s.

[MEG33]

[Nomorjer Kinov]

While Memogate ultimately outed her, how many hundreds, thousands, of stories did she shape over the years to suit the intensely partisan sentiments that she displays here?

Given her animus to all things conservative, I conclude that her partisanship was used to shape all of her stories.

The statement above cannot be fully demonstrated to be accurate, but because Ms. Mapes cannot cannot prove she didn't shape her stories to fit her opinions, my statement cannot be proven inaccurate. The shoddy "journalistic" standards of Rather/Mapes ... it's a good fit for everyone.

[Anti-Bubba182]

It would be sad if she wasn’t deserving of being fired, along
with Dan Rather who also can’t admit he blew it.

[arbooz]

It is quite fitting this insane rant had found home at the cesspool of the leftist paranoid angst. Combined with Dan Rather’s appearance on last night’s talk show, it confirms the long-standing suspicion that liberalism is indeed an incurable desease.

[maryz]

What was different in our case was the brand new and bruising power of the conservative blogosphere

She's got that right anyway! :)

[NonValueAdded]

Reality marker for Mapes: Bloggers Run Rings Around The Partisan, Lazy Old Media. Consider TankerKC's FIRST IN THE NATION COMMENT that they used a newer form than was possible at the time the "documents" were purportedly written. Mapes might as well claim she had conclusive mp3 recordings and a DVD made by the commander back in the late 60's.

[samtheman]

“Fake but accurate” will be a phrase that lives in infamy. When the history of the early years of the 21st century is taught, students will learn of the days when mainstream journalism sunk so low to make that phrase their watchword.

[Crawdad]

Mapes, like other liberals, is either really dumb, really mean, or both.

[Lurking in Kansas]

....keyboard assault artists ....

LOL, I like it, I like it. I think I'll add that to my profile, LOL

[donnab]

Why Mary thats the nicest thing you have ever said.

[teddyballgame]

Bush Derangement Syndrome. A life long struggle afflicting millions. For some it’s terminal. Thoghts & prayers, thoughts & prayers.

[Red Badger]

Actually, we had done a straightforward, well-substantiated story.

Willing suspension of disbelief..................

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I just can’t read Mapes original rant. It’s painful to watch someone embrass herself like this. Mapes and Rather have been revealed for the frauds that they are.

[Enduring Freedom]

Musings on names.

Rather

RAT her

RAT HER

Mapes

M APES

Rats and apes. How appropriate.

[IncPen]

God, this is funny.

Make no mistake. For all their talk about ‘equality’, there’s nothing a liberal loves more than a ‘star’.

Liberals are obsessed with celebrity.

Rather is Mapes’ star

And liberal starf***ers like Mapes will forgive anything- anything! - their beloved star does. Even if, as in Mapes’ case, it utterly destroys them

[Free State Four]

Mapes, like other liberals, is either really dumb, really mean, or both.

Delusional. Don't forget delusional.

[MinuteGal]

Mary, Mary, quite contrary
How long your nose does grow
With shiver-spells and cocky yells
And pretty little tirades all in a row

Leni

[Liberty Valance]

Like the so called “9/11 truthers”, Mapes and Rather hate President Bush so much that they are asking us to suspend reality and join their personal political tantrum. Dan, Mary and the ‘truthers’ have gone off the deep end and are in need of some serious mental health care.

[philman_36]

Another use for duct tape has been found, taping someone’s mouth closed, bringing the total to 1001.

[Ditter]

Mapes and Rather are both in a deep pool of depression and despair. I think that is where they belong, until of course, when they realize their guilt and admit it. But that will never happen, till then, there is Prozac.

[Inspectorette]

My hope is that Rather and Mapes will turn on each other if Rather's lawsuit does end up in court.

He's trying to portray himself as the innocent victim who was merely reading what was put in front of him (Ron Burgundy, anyone?)

If so, was Mapes also an innocent dupe, or was she one of the eevil ones who participated in Rather's ignominious fall?

[Mike Fieschko]

What freepers put together:

CBS 60 Minutes Documents Forgery Facts Project

This Report is based on information compiled and available as of September 29, 2004 and was developed by a Working Group of concerned citizens who used FreeRepublic.com as a clearing house for the exchange of ideas and information. The use of FreeRepublic.com enabled the Working Group to have timely access to, and draw upon, the knowledge of hundreds of professionals and experts across the Country. Examples include typography and word processing, military protocol, document validation, and many other related areas. In addition, the Working Group used that site, as well as many other internet sites, to monitor other efforts that were also addressing questions relating to the Documents used on the September 8, 2004 60 Minutes program. Other than these activities, the Working Group has no formal relationship with the FreeRepublic.com site, or with its founder or management.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Excellent work, you “far-right blogosphere bully boys, extremist keyboard assault artists and avenging angels of the right” ;-)

[jmaroneps37]

Typical lying leftist whine. They can’t take it when they are spanked by the truth.

[jmaroneps37]

Typical lying leftist whine. They can’t take it when they are spanked by the truth.

[mom.mom]

“...reportorial testosterone.”

eeewwww

[upchuck]

And just think, this entire episode could have been avoided if Mary and Dan had had the intelligence to borrow Andy Rooney’s old manual typewriter (the one seen during his monologues on ‘60 Minutes’) and type the memos on that.

[Badeye]

If not for the seriousness of the fraud she and Rather tried to perpetrate on the American people, I’d almost feel sorry for this nutcase. The entire story was completely and totally discredited, beyond any rational standard, as the article notes repeatedly.

btw, somebody should tell her dressing like Lauren Bacall doesn’t help her credibility....

[claudiustg]

Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints...

[Baladas]

For sure - it looks like a leopard exploded around her neck in that pic.

Keep up the keyboard assauts, you glorious right-wing wvenging angel, you.

[Still Thinking]

Actually, we had done a straightforward, well-substantiated story.

< rolls eyes >

...determined to root out and decimate anything they believed to be disruptive to their worldview

If it weren't so pathological, it would be really funny. Conservatives of liberals' imagination are just like liberals of reality.

[muir_redwoods]

"We did get corroboration on the content and support from a couple of longtime document analysts saying they saw nothing indicating that the memos were not real."

What value are comments made about content by a document analyst? The validity of a documents source and age have nothing to do with it's content. It's like asking the guy at the car wash about the funny noise in your transmission. He might have an opinion but what's it worth?

[r-q-tek86]

Sorry for the re-post... I swear I searched and it didn’t come up.

Oh, well...

[Loyal Buckeye]

Mapes...The Huffington Post

Doesn't this say it all?

[Psycho_Bunny]

This chick’s the Freakineer of the Psycho Train.

[Jim Robinson]

Fake but accurate = fraud. Rather lied, people died.

[claudiustg]

-—Instantly, the far right blogosphere bully boys pronounced themselves experts on document analysis, and began attacking the form and font in the memos. They screamed objections that ultimately proved to have no basis in fact. But they captured the argument. They dominated the discussion by churning out gigabytes of mind-numbing internet dissertations about the typeface in the memos, focusing on the curl at the end of the “a,” the dip on the top of the “t,” the spacing, the superscript, which typewriters were used in the military in 1972.-—

As soon as we saw that you could sit down at a computer with MS Word in its default settings and make an exact duplicate of the “documents”, that was the end of the discussion. That was the end of the matter. The fraud was plain even to the slow-witted.

The fact the Mapes can still try to obscure the simple facts of a simple fraud, merely exposes her as a shameless, stupid liar. She should be serving time for election fraud, not making a fool of herself on the FOX Tabloid Network.

[Boundless]

Dan’s suit against CBS, although it’s likely just a
settlement negotiating ploy, is powered by the legal
blackmail threat of Discovery - of what CBS knows,
and in particular of the trail of custody of the hoax
documents.

If it goes to court, the truth might come out, and
Mapes can’t tolerate that.

Dan is doing Mary no favors here.

If CBS settles (my guess), they may be asking all
the perps to chip in and buy off ‘ol Dan. Mapes
probably can’t afford that.

It can’t be a coincidence that Mapes has emerged
from the ooze in the same week as the RatherSuit.

[Alright_on_the_LeftCoast]

As I recall, mother mapes own father disowned her - nuff said.

[norton]

They are both out there raving in public...and the full moon is still three days away.

[claudiustg]

-—As I recall, mother mapes own father disowned her - nuff said.-—

He probably disputed her authenticity.

[I still care]

This is the line I like:

“keyboard assault artist”

I also like “avenging angel of the right”

I think I’ll have a business card printed up.

I Still Care
Professional Keyboard Assault Artist.
Avenging Angel of the Right.

[Still Thinking]

Yeah, I’ll have to add some of that stuff to mine, which now just says “Vast Right Wing Conspirator”.