FReeper Research Needed: What Evidence is There that the DNC or Kerry Gave CBS the Forged Docs?

[jmstein7]

Once again, there is an opportunity for FReeper research to make a big difference in this election.

If you have any evidence on the following questions, please post it to this thread.

1) Anything that suggests that the DNC is the source of the forged memos, i.e. that the DNC provided CBS with the forged Guard documents

2) Anything that suggests that the Kerry campaign is the source of the forged memos, i.e. that Kerry's camp provided CBS with the forged Guard documents

If we can get this evidence and make the connection, and get it out to the 'blogosphere, this election will be over.

Start digging!

[Robert A Cook PE]

Look at the Kerry-Edwards website, press releases, April.


The Kerry-Edward campaign (at the time, of course, only Kerry + the DNC) copies Dan Rather's same series of interview questions and comments, brings up the same points with the same dates and the same names (that the forger used in writing his memo's), and uses the same AFM manuals.

Excuse me.

The Kerry-Edwards web site doesn't copy Dan Rather's interview questions.

Dan Rather copies the Kerry-Edwards questions, almost word for word. (Unless Dan recorded his interview in March, 2004 using MSPreviewTape04 to record his video) before the Kerry-Edwards campaign wrote their press release.)

One exception:

The April 27, 2004 Kerry-Edwards press release credits Staudt, NOT Barnes, for influencing George Bush's entrance into the TexANG.

The Sept 8 Dan Rather interview credits Ben Barnes, NOT Staudt, for influencing George Bush's entrance into the TexANG. (Perhaps Staudt refused to be interviewed, and Ben Barnes wanted to sell his upcoming book?)

The George Magazine article in 2000 credits Barnes, NOT Staudt, for influencing George Bush's entrance into the TexANG. In that interview, Staudt strongly denies helping Lt. Bush get in the Guard.

Ben Barnes' daughter, interviewed Sept 10 by Sean Hannity, claims that Barnes, during the 2000 election, claimed he DID NOT influence George Bush's entrance into the TexANG.

CBS's forger, writing in August 1973, claims that "Col Staudt was putting pressure on to "sugar coat" Mr. Bush's OETR."

(Which is reasonable, since the OETR is Wright-Patterson AFB's Officer Education Training Repository, Mr. Bush didn't own Wright Patterson's OETR (atleast not in 1973), and the Air Force would, in fact, be very upset if Lt Colonel Killian really tried to sugar-coat Mr Bush's building.)

Conclusion:

The forger is absolutely correct: Lt Col Killian really should NOT go around around trying to sugar-coat President Bush's Officer Education Training Repository in 1973!

[twntaipan]

Speculating wildly: Rather's daughter--connections to Mapes and Barnes--hates the Bush family because her daddy hates em, and readily explains why Dan is willing to bet the entire farm on an increasingly apparent fraud. He knows she could go to jail.

[jmstein7]

BUMP!

[Sgt_Schultze]

I know for certain these documents were produced by democrat operatives. I have an "unimpeachable source which stipulates to that fact.

No you cannot interview my conficential informant.

Now you have to produce irrefutable proof which contradicts my confidential, unimpeachable source.

[Republican Red]

Rush never said they came from the DNC he read the Spectator article on the air.

Rush did mention Rather's daughter Robin. She is a very active democrat in the Austin Democrat Party. She got daddy to attend a Democrat fundraiser in 2001. Ben Barnes is a member of the group and was head of the fund raiser.

I think Rather is protectng his daughter.

[sola_fide]

Dan Rather's daughter works for the Texas Democrats from where they produced Ken Barnes - whose own daughter called a liar. Perhaps Dan is falling on the sword to protect his daughter as the source.

I think this is a very important point. Rather definitely can be tied to Barnes. Barnes is a Dem big wig in the same county where Rather spoke at a findraiser a few years ago. I also heard that Barnes has a house on Nantucket not too far from a house Rather owns. I think Barnes is a very likely suspect as the source of these forgeries.

[Dems_R_Losers]

Cui bono? Who benefits?

1. Terry McAuliffe - first to widely circulate "Bush was AWOL" charge; was slammed for it. The Killian memos, if true, could certainly vindicate him and "rehabilitate" him in the eyes of many top Democrats and national media.

2. Ben Barnes - his national political ambitions were derailed, first by the Texas banking scandal, and then by the GOP takeover of Texas which was largely engineered by Karl Rove. Texas lobbying career has been hassled by GOP Attorneys General in Texas. Has huge axe to grind against Rove, Bush, and GOP. Known friend and Nantucket neighbor of John Kerry who could expect a major appointment in a Kerry administration. Was prepared to lie and "recant" his earlier denial of influence over Bush's entry into TANG. But, due to his obvious political leanings, he needed a more "factual" hook to get a national news show to cover his "recantation. Voila, "new documents" turn up that could back up his "new" version of events and get him an audience with Dan Rather.

3. Mary Mapes - known leftist and Bush-hater. Wants to please boss Dan Rather and produce scoop for him. Spreads word far and wide that she is in search of specific documents concerning Bush. Voila, documents turn up virtually made to order.

My guess? Ben Barnes had the memos made up and gave them to McAuliffe and a few other people in Texas, including Bill Burkett, who is so deranged that he gave them to Mary Mapes without even thinking to question them. Mapes did not check them out either because they simply confirmed what she had already been told by Burkett. McAuliffe did not want his fingerprints directly on them, but is a blabbermouth and made sure people at CBS knew he had them. Dan Rather took Mapes' word that she had verified the authenticity of the memos as best she could. He wanted to get the story on the air before September 11, to make the memos the dominant story of the weekend instead of the anniversary of 9/11.

I really believe that Dan Rather had no clue that these memos were fakes when he went on the air last Wednesday. He relied on his producer, who assured him she had verified them. He knew Terry McAuliffe had the same documents and believed them to be authentic. He was on a deadline. He did not count on the blogosphere to fact-check him. He is taking the heat now for his entire staff and all of CBS News instead of ratting them out for making him look bad. It is very much in character for him.

[Tamzee]

I also saw something somewhere that said Ben Barnes at one time was the Director of the Travis County Democratic Party and the Dem fundraiser Rather had a keynote speech for was for the Travis County Dem Party.


I can't find where I saw the Ben-Barnes-Director part, though, I didn't think to save it when I first noticed it.

[Henchman]

Feel free to disagree but you say they (FBI) had people over there (Where? I presume at Berger's place) the next day. Well do not forget: 1.) Berger was on TAPE stuffing his socks. 2.) It was a physical theft. 3.) Berger was not the Democratic candidate for President

This case involves the First Amendment of CBS News; it is based on circumstantial evidence, not physical evidence; witnesses have flip flopped; experts are hired guns and will testify this way or the other based on who hired them.

Berger was tied to the DNC campaign, but mostly reflected on Clinton. So what happened to the DNC? NADA. ...and this has been more than 1 day. Several days have elapsed as a matter fo fact, where is the cavalry?

You are entitled to your opinion. Should there be a Feebee contact (not), I am of the opinion that contact will result in NADA, if they even bother with this now. Why? The FBI does not want to be perceived as a club used for political purposes. Anyway, where will the inquiry get? In the past news media reporters have been willing to go to jail to protect their sources. Who was the original recipient at CBS? Every one will say "not me".

I'll log this and apologize if I am wrong. May I suggest YOU email it to the FBI and if you really want to get them to move (which won't happen), contact the US Attorney's Office. As I say, IF there is anything, it will be after the election. BTW, I just gave you the name of the first potential witness; forward that data and the reference with your information item.

[sola_fide]

Barnes is certainly a big contributor to the Travis County Democratice party. See here:

http://www.traviscountydemocrats.org/financecouncil.php

[bray]

Chicken or the egg?? Was the website added because of the docs or were the docs forged to help the website?? The Prowler most likely has it right and had inside info before this blew up and everybody stopped talking. This was a Hail Mary pass from a desparate campaign that was intercepted. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Pray for W and Our Troops

[Aunt Polgara]

"We know it was the kerry campaign because of how amatuer the documents were. They were created by some 20 something year old staffer who did not even consider that they did things differently 30 years ago."

No, I don't think it was a young staffer for two reasons.

1) Using the lower case l instead of the numeral 1 is something that those who learned to type on a typewriter would do because the old typewriters didn't have a numeral 1. I run into this all the time in my part time job working with seasoned citizens who are now using computers. Drives me crazy when I'm trying to deciper email addresses.

2) The documents have 2 spaces after the period at the end of sentences. That is also something that was standard on the old typewriters, but early word-processors couldn't handle it when they did their word wrapping, so that convention fell out of use as more and more people learned to type on computers.

I am convinced that the forger was a non-geek of at least 35-40 years of age.

[floriduh voter]

Thanks. I did find another thread re: Newsday but the assemblage will be very informative as well. FV

[magua]

I think Rather is protectng his daughter. great starting point,what would you do?

[Congressman Billybob]

Since the website had the medical Manual citations wrong in April, and the memos didn't get forged until six weeks ago (according to the Spectator), the logic is this: The documents were created to support the claims already made by the Kerry Campaign. It wasn't the other way around, per the calendar.

Billybob

[Congressman Billybob]

Since the website had the medical Manual citations wrong in April, and the memos didn't get forged until six weeks ago (according to the Spectator), the logic is this: The documents were created to support the claims already made by the Kerry Campaign. It wasn't the other way around, per the calendar.

Billybob

[Congressman Billybob]

Since the website had the medical Manual citations wrong in April, and the memos didn't get forged until six weeks ago (according to the Spectator), the logic is this: The documents were created to support the claims already made by the Kerry Campaign. It wasn't the other way around, per the calendar.

Billybob

[NJ_Tom]

Does it seem curious that these memos appeared after Carville & Begala started "helping" the Kerry campaign? Wouldn't it be a super way to ensure that Hillary doesn't have to contend with an incumbent Democrat in 2008? Seems awfully Machiavellian, but who knows?

[dixie sass]

Emphasis is a good thing!

[mabelkitty]

Kerry's own website has forged military documents.
Forging military documents is a very serious offense, and not a common occurrence.
Even CC Connelly can connect these dots.