Posted on 09/15/2004 8:10:12 PM PDT by Pharmer
I think that it is safe to say that this whole Rathergate/memogate stuff at this point is just out of control. If your ten year old got caught in a fib and continued to behave in this way even the most "progressive" of parents would would have this child have a close encounter with a razor strap. So why is CBS carrying on this way? I have heard many intresting theories posted here, on talk radio, and other places.
So let's review some of them. First we all know that the Swift Boat dudes was a shot in Kerry's solar plexis. It wasn't fatal but it caught him off guard and knocked the wind out of him. Kerry knows that has exposed his glass jaw and the swifties moving in with more even more devastaing blows. We all can aggree the TANG story was resurected for the umpteenth time to clearly to blunt any future efforts.
And if you look at the "suspicious timing" of media events we have:
a) The 60 minutes story Wednesday night producing documents from one of Bush's TANG officers that seem to imply that he had a different opinion of the young leutenant that he told his wife and and son and left a letter of commendation in Bush's personnel file.
b) Terry McAufull and Tom Harkin racing to the microphone Thursday morning to damand Bush answer the charges as to why he failed to show up for a physical as to set up
c) The Kitty Kelly cocaine story and voila!
d) Bush is a coke head just who ducked a physical with a drug test (in 1972! Before Nancy said NO) as we thought back in 2000 but now we have a paper trail!
But as we now know as in the the best laid plans of mice and men, the initial key components the documents were baltant and amatuerish forgeries. This blew the whole plan out of the water faster than a submerged mine blew up the number 3 boat. Just like Kerry did then the MSM ran from this story so fast it wasn't funny. They knew they were sunk, busted and had! I wouldn't be surprised that when all is said and done that whoever the source of these document was may have shopped them around to various media outlets before CBS took the bait. And most of them might have come to the same conclusions it took us "amatuer" Freepers and Buckhead 59 minutes to figure out: these were Cracker Jack Box phonies.
So why after being caught in such a blatant lie is CBS continuing to stand by this story when the scheme has been exposed? Some say arogance. Some say that CBS is covering for its source. I have a sneaking suspicion that more is afoot.
Remember when Richard Ben-Veniste during the 9/11 hearings tried to embarass John Ashcroft by asking him why he stopped flying commercial a month prior to 9/11? or how about when Bush had that press conference last spring and the press repeatedly tried to embarass Bush with stupid questions and get him to "apologize" for Iraq?
Well guess whats comming up? The debates. And who is moderating one of those debates? Bob Schieffer. And who does Bob Schieffer work for...? CBS!!! Don't be surprised if Scheifer askes "Mr president, last month the 60 minutes raise questions based on documents attributed to your former commanding officer in the Texas Air National Guard. To date you have not addressed those questions. Don't you think that tonight you answer those questions for the American people?" No matter what other questions asked in those debates that one will have justified the stonewalling we see now and that I think is the end-game. They want to embarass him with a phony question live and right in front of Kerry. Don't get me wrong, I think he'll handle it fine and with dignity. But knowing the contempt that these guys have for Bush they think this might just do him in.
I agree. They never expected anyone to question the memo.
It's a new world with the Internet, and the old school Democrats aren't ready for it.
They thought their old Vince Forster trick would work again. The same guy who claims this forgery is real is the same guy who said Vince Fosters suicide note was real. It would be nice to go back and check that letter once more.
I read on one of the hundreds of threads here on FR that this is a lie too, since they military didn't start testing for drugs until approx 1980.
"Mr. Rather, did you type up that memo?"
"Of course not, I didn't have the balls for it."
I also saw Bernstein and it was plain to see that he was putting on the liberal spin. He tried to sound reasoable but I had to leave the room.
Carl Bernstein is still alive? I thought he was shot when he stole the horse and buggy from in front of the Plaza Hotel. Didn't his wife, Nora Ephron shoot him for having an affair when they were married. Okay, okay, I'm kidding about the shooting.
"To his credit, Dim Pat Caddell"
Caddell earned my respect tonight. Yes, we could argue with him on whether first blood was drawn attacking Clinton or Clarence Thomnas, but his anaolgy to Greek Sophistry is dead on.
A Democrat that cares more about his Country than his Party. A Democrat who cares more about his Party than his Candidate. How refreshing.
All Bush has to say is the documents are phony
next question.
I wasn't going to go there . . . (but it's funny).
"well, the rumor is that CBS has a second hit story floating around in the backroom to be aired in october as its "october suprise" which pins bush as an outright coke head (that is why he did not take the physical). "
I think the 'October surprise' is on its way this week. The WaPo article mentions that the WH says there are more docs on the way. I am guessing these are the two that CBS held back but USAT had in its pdf file. One of the docs links the Lts Bush and Bath together, both of them being suspended from flying for not doing a physical. Bath was apparently kicked out for cocaine use. The inference being Bush was involved too.
IF these are the new docs they came from the same 'poisoned well' as the first, but they will bring up inference of cocaine use. This is what the DNC's "Operation Favored Son" campaign is trying to do all along.
When Pat said that the Republicans started the negativity with Clinton, I wanted to shout, "No, it was the Dims, with that nuke ad against Goldwater and then the decades of trashing Reagan.".
interesting post
there clearly appears to be an intended or tacit synchronicity between the DNC - mcawful unlawful - harkin harking - blather memo bombs and kitty kelly on cocaine to put the cherry on the top with sheifer shilling
This is between CBS and the American public.
Gov't actions against the press, no matter the legal particulars, is a very touchy issue. The FCC control over broadcast licenses is already an affront to free speech, and their enforcement is nothing to get excited about.
Everyone can see what is going on here. Let CBS deal with this, and the public will take its toll in the market, and CBS will adjust itself or die slowly.
From a practical standpoint it is also better to let CBS figure out how to fix this than to potentially cast them as a victim of censorship.
But what makes you think there will be a Debate moderated by a CBS anchor?
The White House hasn't agreed to that.
Not fatal??? It sucked the life-blood out of his campaign, he is gasping for air, and all evidence reveals no brain function.
I REALLY hate conspiracy theories (tin hat on) but this is sooo blatant with the Gang off 500 ala ABC's the Note and that dude at Newsweek. To see it blow up in their faces is so rich! ;D. But we must remain vigilant (add foil to tin hat!!)
It's Mapes--she's the one they're circling the wagons around. She interviewed Burkett and saw the original forgeries. Burkett gave her copies, which were then faxed to the home office, but she saw that there were "originals". I believe she is Rather's unimpeachable source, based on the fact that she saw the original forgeries. She didn't know they were forgeries at the time. That's my take.
Burkett is a retired Army National Guard systems analyst. He knows his way around a computer and he knows his way around a military style memo. And he had a motive.
Ping pong paddles at my house.
I really think that Dan Rather is running the whole network over there. Andy Heyward just shows up 5 days a week to hand his testicles in a lockbox over to Dan before assuming his place in the Janitor's closet.
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