CBS Won't Deny Kerry Link to Forged Docs

Newsmax ^ | 9/12/2004 | Newsmax

[NavySEAL F-16]

I agree that we need more documentation before we believe anything. There needs to be named sources, etc. I thought I'd post part of Hugh Hewitt's interviw with Terry McAuliffe that shows McAuliffe/DNC being "obsessed" with documents and Bush's time in the Guard.

McAuliffe told reporters. "I can unequivocally speak for the Kerry for President Campaign Committee, nor do they have anything to do with these documents. Absolutely not."

Here's a partial post of Hugh Hewitt's interview with Terry McAuliffe from the RNC. I only posted the part where McAuliffe will not speak for the Kerry campaign.

HEWITT: Do you believe that John Kerry took a CIA man into Cambodia and kept his hat?

MCAULIFFE: Uh, I have no idea.

HEWITT: You have no idea that he made that story to the Washington Post and that he made it again in 2004 to the LA Times?

MCAULIFFE: If John Kerry said he did something, I’ll take John Kerry at his word.

HEWITT: Do you think that he ran guns to anti-communists in Cambodia which he told the U.S. News & World Report on May of 2000?

MCAULIFFE: I don’t know. You’d have to ask John Kerry about that. I don’t know what he did in Cambodia or didn’t. That was a war 35 years ago. I want to talk about this year. HEWITT: Did he go to Cambodia on Christmas Eve --your understanding-- in 1968?

MCAULIFFE: I think he probably did and probably George Bush when he was in the Alabama National Guard was driving the boat.

HEWITT: Obviously though, George Bush never made that claim but John Kerry has made numerous claims about his record in Cambodia. Does that matter to you?

MCAULIFFE: Oh sure, everything matters what people say. Absolutely. George Bush also said that he showed up in the Alabama National Guard and never showed up.

HEWITT: You’re still holding that story that he never showed up . . .

MCAULIFFE: Hugh, wait a minute. They’ve released the documents and all we’ve got is more questions. He had one dental appointment. Big deal.

HEWITT: Now, should John Kerry meet with the press and answer all the questions about the Cambodia stuff?

MCAULIFFE: I think John Kerry ought to go before the press and answer any questions they put out there. I’m always for that. Absolutely. I also want George Bush to answer some questions why he said he now miscalculated the war in Iraq. He says that we can’t win the war on terror. I have a lot of questions for Bush.

HEWITT: Why hasn’t John Kerry met with the media since the Chris Wallace interview on the Sunday after the convention for extensive questions? He’s had a couple passerby’s on the airplane but nothing on film and he hasn’t met with the press.

MCAULIFFE: This is all news to me, Hugh. I don’t know. I will be glad to ask Senator Kerry why he’s not met with you or any other the other . . .

HEWITT: Not me, but anybody. But Chairman of the party aren’t you concerned he’s hiding from the press?

MCAULIFFE: John Kerry is out campaigning every single day. There are press on his plane, 40 press, there’s a backup plane loaded with press, he talks to them on the rope line going in and out of the plane. I’m on the plane. I see him talking to press every single day.

HEWITT: He hasn’t answered any of these questions about Swift Vote Veterans ads. People want to ask about the CIA man in Cambodia in 2003. Don’t they have a right . . .

A day after Terry McAuliffe told me he had never heard of the CIA man and the magic hat, McAuliffe told the bloggers that Kerry went into Cambodia twice, once with the CIA man.

[Boundless]

> ... read post 8 on this thread.

Yep. I saw that "Anatomy" article when it first appeared.
NewsMax cannot be unaware of it, but you'd never know it
from their article.

Investigative journalism needs to be focusing on the
supposed CBS employee that first leaked the details on
the chain of custody.

I'm afraid that turing a "no comment" into a news story
with no news is Rather(TM) less than impressive.

There are a lot of leads to follow on RatherGate.
NewsMax has knocked on the front door to no avail,
and needs to look elsewhere.

[longtermmemmory]

So the question becomes which reporter is interested in a career MAKING story? Drudge is famous for breaking the clinton/monica story. Which reporter wants to break the Kerry/rather story?

[Revolutionary]

If you look at the timing of the statements by prominent Democrats and back to back attacks on CBS and NBC, it becomes obvious that CBS, NBC, DNC and the Kerry Campaign were involved in a meticulously timed collusion effort against the President. They even used B. Clinton for cover (get off the Vietnam stuff), so it wouldn't look like the campaign put it out.

"Unimpeachable source": to CBS this can only mean the DNC and probably Terry or Kerry or both.

[lancer]

Something about Killan retired a year before the date on his memo. heh!

I believe it was Staudt who retired 18 months before the memo was written in which he is allegedly pressuring Killian.

[fso301]

As long as this matter is still alive, the Dem's have an open door to take shots at Bush's Guard Service and divert attention from a wounded John Kerry.

I think that was the purpose of this whole thing. Dan Rather is 73 and will be retiring soon anyway. He's the MSM personality best able to cope with potential negative fallout. In the meantime, attention is diverted from Kerry's failings.

[DustyMoment]

If they aren't denying the allegation, then there has to be some truth to it.

[Damagro]

"No one here at the Democratic National Committee had anything at all to do with any of those documents," McAuliffe told reporters. "I can unequivocally speak for the Kerry for President Campaign Committee, nor do they have anything to do with these documents. Absolutely not."


If he is so certain of this, it must mean he knows the source

[Howlin]

That's what it sounds like to me!

[Maigrey]

Could this be the result of the meeting sKerry had with the heads of the networks at the first of the year? If there was collusion with the LSM networks and the sKerry camp,.....

[muir_redwoods]

You know, If Erik Sevareid were still alive I can hear him, taking a page from Zell MIller, saying

"I didn't leave CBS, they left me"

[GOPJ]

It's smelled like a dem dirty trick game all along. Somewhere in my memory is a typewriter with the "th" on one key. I'm thinking Smith Corona - home model - light blue. The kind of machine rich liberal parents would give their kids as they went off to college in the 60's or early 70's. I wouldn't bet my life on this vague memory, but this whole CBS thing could be a twofer -- to discredit the new media - and to cast doubt on Bush. We can be thankful our guys discovered more than just the "th". The truth will hold.

[SheLion]

I believe it was Staudt who retired 18 months before the memo was written in which he is allegedly pressuring Killian.

Thank you! I was stumbling over the name of the actual person.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

He's not certain. He's just a liar.

[claudiustg]

---On Friday, Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe vehemently denied that his office or anyone at the Kerry campaign was involved.

"No one here at the Democratic National Committee had anything at all to do with any of those documents," McAuliffe told reporters. "I can unequivocally speak for the Kerry for President Campaign Committee, nor do they have anything to do with these documents. Absolutely not."

It's unclear whether McAuliffe had actually investigated a possible Kerry link to the forged documents, or was just offering his opinion. ---

It's interesting that the DNC had official comments up on 8Sep04, the same day as the show aired! He's making official comments on the DNC website from a TV show?

---Sep 8, 2004


McAuliffe Statement on Breaking News About Bush's Military Record


Washington, D.C. - Responding to breaking news regarding George W. Bush's military record, Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe issued this statement:


"George W. Bush's cover story on his National Guard service is rapidly unraveling.


"Tonight's CBS New report made clear that President Bush has misrepresented the nature of his National Guard service for decades to the American people. And now that questions are being raised, only Bush can settle this once and for all by answering the unanswered questions about his Guard service.


"CBS News exclusively obtained documents that flatly contradict two of Bush's often repeated claims about his time in the National Guard - that he received no special treatment and that he fulfilled his duty.


"According to these new military documents, political pressure was applied and strings were pulled for President Bush at every step of the process: to get in the Guard, to stay in the Guard, and to exit the Guard.


"These are serious charges. They have not been leveled by his opponent. Or by a political party. Or by an outside group. They are based on documents from the personal files of Col. Jerry Killian, Bush's squadron commander.


"George W. Bush needs to answer why he regularly misled the American people about his time in the Guard and who applied political pressure on his behalf to have his performance reviews 'sugarcoated'?"---

https://www.democrats.org/news/200409090001.html

[Boundless]

> But 60 Minutes made an art form out of turning
> no comment into guilt... Turnabout is fair play, ...

Do I have sympathy for CBS here?
No

But any "new media" outlet trying to build credibility as
an objective source of news needs to avoid the temptation
to run AP/NYT/WP/BG/LAT/CBS/ABC/Reuters-type misleading
headlines, and content-free stories that amount to little
more than speculation.

A lot of FR readers lump NewsMax with Debka - the
electronic equivalent of supermarket tabloids. The
present story is an example of why.

Of course, as matters now stand, CBS itself will soon be
joining them aside World Weekly News and The Inquirer.

[cwb]

"True, he won't resign. He will continue to say, "It's not about the documents, it's about the charge."

---

And guess what? Dan is right. It is no longer about the documents...it is about the charge that CBS and Rather have tried to perpetuate a fraud on the American people. Dan has buried himself with his own defense:)

[longtermmemmory]

is that a real cover?

If so, the tv V-chip reaaaaly needs an "H" code to screen out the header manure from children!

[Republican Red]

I still say that Robin Rather is contected to this story bigtime. Rather will go down kicking and screaming to protect his daughter.

[Damagro]

Duped by Karl Rove

If they were duped, they were willing dupes. What kind of defense is that? The mean ol GOP took advantage of our eagerness to smear the President