Posted on 09/14/2004 9:21:07 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
The first few columns I wrote as a burgeoning political commentator were mainly on the subject of media bias. Even after writing 4 separate articles on the subject, I was still not prepared for what has been revealed about the Bush National Guard memos, as reported on by Dan Rather on CBS’s 60 Minutes II last week.
Not 24 hours after Dan Rather reported these memos, questions began to arise regarding the authenticity of these supposed National Guard file documents. The first implications that the documents were probably not written when and by whom the 60 Minutes II piece indicated, centered on the particular font and scripting used in the memos. New Times Roman, the font I am writing this article with, was not very widely available in 1973 when the memos were supposedly written. Although CBS has since claimed they have proof this font has been available since the 1930’s, they have refused to bring forward their evidence.
More important than the font it is the use of something called “superscript” used in the documents that raise so many questions. When I type the characters 4, t, and h right next to each other in my Microsoft Word Processor, I get the flowing: 4th. Notice how the “th” is raised up and made smaller. That is superscript. In 1973, it is a fact that the National Guard did not have access to the very complicated typewriters capable of this trick. There are several other discrepancies regarding the type on the documents so run a www.news.google.com on Bush+Memo+guard+superscript for more information.
But enough about what typewriters of that era could and could not do. There is plenty of other suspicion about these memos. One point key in my mind was the reference in the memo to Col. Walter "Buck" Staudt, the commanding officer over Lt. Col. Killian who was in turn Bush’s commander. The memo purports to show that Lt. Col. Killian, felt pressure from his own superior officer, Col. Staudt, to "sugarcoat" Bush's record. The problem with this claim is that Col. Staudt had been honorably discharged in March 1972, nearly 18 months before the date of the forged Killian memos. Lt. Col. Killian had boasted to his family before he died that he thought George W. Bush was a fine Guardsman. Men who served with Lt. Col. Killian swear such “to the file” memos were not only rare for Col. Killian but avoided all together because of the enormous explanations required for such purely negative comments.
The National Guard memos were not the only topic of the 60 Minutes Two episode. But Dan Rather and cohorts weren’t done besmirching the president just yet. This episode also featured and interview with Ben Barnes - who claimed in an interview with Dan Rather that he used influence to secure a place for President Bush in the Texas Air National Guard 36 years ago. At the time, Ben Barnes was Lt Governor of Texas and thus responsible for choosing who would get a much-coveted spot in the Texas Air National Guard. As Frontpage magazine.com reports, George W. Bush began the first of six years’ service in the National Guard in 1968, but Barnes did not become Lt. Governor of Texas until 1969. Barnes has acknowledged that no member of the Bush family sought his help, but now claims that a Bush family friend, who died three years before Barnes began telling his self-serving story, approached him.
Furthermore none other than Ben Barnes’ own daughter has refuted this charge by her father. Amy Barnes says she asked her father in the run-up to the 2000 Presidential Election if he had anything to do with Bush’s approval for entrance into the Texas National Guard and he indicated he did not. Amy Barnes indicated that her father now intends to write a book about his involvement in Bush’s Guard Duty and made this new charge in an attempt to get pre-publicity for before it's release. We know that former White House Terrorism Czar Dick Clarke made charges that the Bush Administration bungled the War on Terror. These charges were later proven false and assumed to have been fabricated in order to help Mr. Clarke sell millions of copies of his own novel. Michael Moore claimed in his film Fahrenheit 911 that Dick Clarke reported to him that the Bush Administration flew scores of Saudis out of the US supposedly while the US was under a no-fly curfew in the wake of the WTC and Pentagon attacks. As it turns out, it was Dick Clarke himself who was tasked with approving the flights.
The media at least that of the traditional sense like ABC, CBS, NBC, NY Times and others are gunning to bring down the President. Those that want Bush out of office know their candidate is weak across the board and are prepared to do ANYTHING to hobble the President and give Kerry the advantage.
You would think with “Big Media” behind him, John Kerry would be blowing Bush away in the polls right now. But as a testament to “New Media” (FoxNews, Talk Radio as well as internet sites and bloggers & emailers) America is being informed of these false allegations and hatchet jobs being perpetrated upon this President.
CBS News and Dan Rather are standing behind their story. Fred Barnes who is executive editor of The Weekly Standard made a list of lies you must believe if you are to join them.
CBS is also the network that brought you the Reagan smear piece that they ended up relegating to Showtime because of the public outrage over the false depiction of Ronald & Nancy Reagan, two of the most beloved humans of this century.
Want to scream at CBS? Go to www.cbsnews.com, at the bottom of the page click contact and have your say.
Kevin D. Korenthal Volunteer Communications Chairman Bush/Cheney04 - Santa Clarita Phone: (661) 253-3206 RU4Bush2004@MyWay.com (also to request removal from this email list) http://www.GeorgeWBush.com
You would think with “Big Media” behind him, John Kerry would be blowing Bush away in the polls right now.Instead of Big Media boosting Kerry up, Kerry's going to drag Big Media down (with their very willing, very stupid participation).
I am coming to the conclusion that this whole thing is meant to "muddy the waters" so that upcoming devastating information from the Swifties against Kerry will be similarly dismissed as forgeries as well.
I don't see how. A forgery is a forgery is a forgery. You need a forged document for that. The Swift Boat veterans have used only personal testimony and official doctrines. They have been extremely careful not to make any exaggerated claims.
On one pan of the scale is the testimony of 150 veterans. On the other pan is Dan Rather and his forged documents.
It's pretty clear which of these two will be weighed in the balance and found wanting.
Insiders at CBS need to stop referring to the company as "Black Rock" and start using "Black Eye"!
But for those people who only pay attention to 15-second sound bites, they will just write it off as both sides engaging in dirty tricks, thus nullifying each other out. That benefits Kerry by neutralizing these potentially devastating memos. Those of us harping on the memos are already going to vote for President Bush anyway. Those defending the memos were going to vote for Kerry anyway. It's about undecided voters, who don't care for politics like we do.
CBS is taking heat even from the "Big Media" over this. I heard that Matt Lauer gave Kitty Kelly a tough interview yesterday over the veracity of her new hit piece on the Bush family. It appears that only CBS has decided to go down with what's beginning to look like a Kerry debacle. I hate to see any of the Big Media get away with breaking from the Kerry campaign this late, but the instinct to survive is strong. I, for one, won't forget.
Even though experts have proven that the documents are forged, CBS refuses to admit it. They believe if they can dig in, and finish the week, they will go unscathed.
Are we going to let them ??? HELL NO !!!
Contact CBS NOW at : http://cbs.com
Tell them that we are boycotting their programming, AND their sponsors until they admit to the fraud, fire Dan Rather, Kelli Edwards, Mary Mapes, and force them all to apologize on the air!!
NO SURRENDER........NO RETREAT!!!
They tried to use their black arts to tar W... but all they did was show the world their black heart.
bump for wednesday
Keep bumping this to the top. Let CBS know that we are not going to go gently into the night!!!
Those that want Bush out of office know their candidate is weak across the board and are prepared to do ANYTHING to hobble the President and give Kerry the advantage.
exactly!
I started saying this two days ago (on FR). Rush is now saying the same thing. Dan will increase his audience through this. Only libs listen to him anyway and now he is their darling.
Sounds like it's time to G-Bomb C-BS. I suggest "CBS Fraud".
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