Rather: 'Nobody Has Proved Documents Were Fakes'

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Partners in deception, partners in denial . . .

Earlier today I noted that in her HuffPo column, ex-CBS producer Mary Mapes continues to cling to the delusion that the Memogate documents were authentic. In an inteview on "Morning Joe," Dan Rather has now made a similar reality-denying claim.

Mika Brzezinski, who, as was repeatedly pointed out, used to work at CBS and has friends on both sides of the issue, conducted the interview. Bubbles didn't have the gumption to confront Rather with the crux of the issue: the forged documents at the heart of the story. Interestingly, Rather chose to raise the issue himself, and in doing so demonstrated his departure from reality and a twisted sense of journalistic standards.

View video here.

DAN RATHER: We haven't noted here, Mika, that nobody has disputed that the story of President Bush's service in the National Guard, how he got in, and what he did and didn't do when he went in there, nobody's disputed the story was untrue [sic]. We were, uh, made vulnerable on the documents which, by the way, let me point out also, that nobody has ever proven the documents are, quote, fraudulent or, uh, that they were, uh, fakes, as some people have written.

As I noted regarding the Mapes' column, fake-but-accurate rides again.

In any case, Mika didn't confront Rather with any of the mountains of evidence demonstrating that the documents were blatant forgeries. This "Little Green Footballs" overlay is my favorite. Brzezinski instead chose to ask a hanging curveball of a question.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Then why read the apology, Dan?

Host Joe Scarborough remains out on sick leave, but had called in and listened to the exchange. When it was over, he wasn't as accepting of Rather's claim as Mika.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: He said that these documents have yet to be proven false. I guess I need to go back and take a closer look at it, and I'm not being facetious here, either. I thought most everybody, from the New York Times to the LA Times had determined these documents were fake.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Dan-in-denial ping to Today show list.

[BigDaddyTX]

Someone just posted this one in another thread, I like this one best.

http://img41.imageshack.us/my.php?image=60minbusted.swf

[Kozak]

[Mr. K]

If he is so stupid that he has yet to be convinced these documents are fake then we need to examine EVERYOTHER STORY this dumbass has ever reported.

[Shelayne]

Oh good grief, Rather. Give it up. Move on.

LET. IT. GO. Really.

[Dr. Sivana]

The gift that keeps on giving. The OJ of the MSM.

[Tenacious 1]

Nobody proved the documents were real. They are, therefore, fake. The difference is subtle but huge.

Why a journalists would think any different baffles me.

Bull$$1t is not “Presumed fact until it is refuted.” Rather it is the other way around. “It is pure BS until it is proven.”

I guess he is “Rather” confused.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Buckhead

[w1andsodidwe]

Hey Dan, I believe you were the one who needed to provide proof that they were authentic. Plenty of bloggers were able to figure out that they were fakes.

What an ignorant fool. I guess that is why he is liberal. His thought process is flawed.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Perfect. Thanks for posting.

[Alouette]

The original Buckhead post that got the ball rolling

[Disambiguator]

PING

[Vigilanteman]

Dan Rather: the OJ of the MSM.

That wouldn't make a bad tagline. Except that Danny Boy isn't worthy of the attention.

[RoadKingSE]

..ex-CBS producer Mary Mapes continues to cling to the delusion that the Memogate documents were authentic. In an inteview on "Morning Joe," Dan Rather has now made a similar reality-denying claim.

"Dan, my man, I love you baby but you gotta cut back on the El Momo Dude. Hey I'm starvin'. Want to go to Mackie D's and get a couple of Quarterpounders?"

[TommyDale]

Better yet Dan, you cannot prove it is NOT a fake!

[Geostorm]

Dan is living in the past, when what the anchor said was the truth because He said it. They got to make the news not just report it. Too bad times have changed huh? Cronkite got to say Vietnam was lost and so it was.

[stylin19a]

MSM continues to react to Rather/Mapes assertion.."nobody can prove they were fakes ..blah,blah,blah."

Nobody is asking the question to Rather/Mapes about not being able to verify the authenticity of the documents.

[popdonnelly]

Further evidence that liberals are out of touch with reality.

[AmericaUnited]

Well the great thing is that Putzhead will now make CBS prove in court that the documents were fraudulent.