Fax# (212) 975-1998
Posted on 09/15/2004 9:02:13 PM PDT by FairOpinion
WASHINGTON -- Republican lawmakers expressed outrage Wednesday over a CBS News report that cited documents critical of President Bush's service in the National Guard as one congressmen calling for a investigation into the report and another asked for a retraction from the network.
Rep. Chris Cox, R-Calif., in a letter to Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., asked for an investigation of "the continued use by CBS News of apparently forged documents concerning the service record of President George W. Bush intended to unfairly damage his reputation and influence the outcome of the 2004 presidential election."
Upton chairs the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications, which oversees the TV industry.
Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., the House majority whip, mailed a letter to CBS News president Andrew Heyward signed by 39 congressmen asking the network for a retraction.
"To date, CBS's response to the specific and devastating criticisms of the accuracy of its reporting has been to question the motives of its critics, to offer half-truths in its own defense, to refuse to disclose crucial evidence, and to circle the wagons," wrote Blunt, the House's No. 3 Republican. "Among the halftruths: CBS has asked us to rely on the authority of Marcel Matley and Bill Glennon, without mentioning that neither man is willing to vouch for the authenticity of the documents in question. CBS reporters would not accept such behavior from public officials like ourselves, and we cannot accept it from them."
Blunt also asked CBS to identify the network's sources.
"The evidence suggests strongly that their story was false. We urge CBS to retract its story, and to disclose the identities of the people who have used your network to deceive your viewers in the final weeks of a presidential election," he wrote.
Heyward said the network was satisfied that the documents were accurate but said he recognized the public had doubts about them.
In a statement broadcast on CBS, Heyward said, "We established to our satisfaction, which is a high standard, that the memos are accurate or we wouldn't have put them on television, we wouldn't have done the report. There was a great deal of corroborating evidence from people in the position to know about the accuracy of the memos."
But he added, "Having said that, given all of the questions about them, I believe and we believe that we should redouble our efforts to answer those questions, so that's what we are doing."
In a statement to CBS affiliates, Rather said he believed the documents were legitimate but echoed Heyward's pledge to answer critics.
"There are serious ... people who have raised serious questions about the documents and I am determined to get all the information we can about the documents. But right now, about the information, there is no dispute," he said.
Meanwhile House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, called on CBS News to say where it got the memos.
"I understand that people want to protect their sources, but we're dealing with the alleged forgery of government documents to influence a presidential race during war," DeLay told reporters, according to wire reports. "This isn't politics as usual. It's dangerous and possibly criminal."
Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz., took to the House floor on Wednesday demanding Rather answer a pair of questions: "What did Dan Rather know, and when did he know it?"
The congressional action comes as pressure is building on CBS to explain whether the documents are legitimate.
Cox wants the subcommittee to conduct a hearing on the issue before the election.
"Despite the growing abundance of evidence that CBS News has aided and abetted fraud, the network has declined to reveal the source of the disputed documents. USA Today possesses the same documents, obtained independently from a person representing them to be authentic, and likewise is refusing to disclose his identity," he wrote. "Given the shortness of time between now and the election which the apparent fraud is meant to influence, and the even shorter time before Congress is scheduled to adjourn, I strongly urge that the subcommittee move with all deliberate speed to uncover the facts."
While Bill Burkett may have been the one to actually fax the memos to CBS, I highly doubt that he actually prepared the documents. Since he was in the TANG, he would have known the terminology, some of which has been incorrect in the phony memos.
Also, considering that he had a couple of nervous breakdowns, I really don't think he was up to it.
I think the DNC & Kerry campaign are using him, precisely, so that they can point to him, as the source, hoping that people won't look any further.
I think he has been running around badmouthing Bush, and the Dems made a deal with him, made up the memos, gave it to him, and then he in turn will "admit" that he provided the memos, claiming they are real, of course, or, if things go wrong, as they did, when people discovered that the memos are fake, they can feed him to the wolves, claiming that he must have made up the memos.
And if he commits "suicide", it will just be, a poor distrubed person, who already had two nervous break downs, finally succeeding in killing himself.
Who needs terror to turn the election when we have our own home-grown Communist 5th column?
another good read....
The terrorists and our homegrown sympathizers are working hand-in-hand on their common goal: to replace President Bush, whom they both fear, for good reason.
The American people ahve a real choice: vote for security and prosperity, and reelect Bush, or vote for the terrorists.
The socialists in Spain withdrew their troops from Iraq, Kerry wants to withdraw our troops from Iraq, and the socialist opponent of the current Australian PM also wants to withdraw the troops from Iraq. Who will benefit, if we all withdraw our troops from Iraq" The Islamofacists and terrorists. The results may be severe and irreversible.
bump
You no longer have to attribute quotes to individuals. If you have a quote that you like, you can say that so-and-so said "Mr. X lied, he failed, he prayed on our fears." If Mr. X says that he never said that, you can still claim that the meaning is true, so that is good enough.
Here's one: "Dan Rather was quoted as saying that President George Bush was an unqualified SOB who stole the election and is ruining the country."
What? Dan never publicly said that? Office workers near him say that it is a sentiment that he was known to agree with, so I stand by the accuracy of the quote, even though he may never have actually publicly expressed it.
-PJ
BUAHAHAHAHAHA
Seen on DU (you can't make THIS stuff up):
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x830076
I want to know who met who at the Abilene Dairy Queen !!!
- ping -
Burkett was in the Texas National Guard, which is different from the Texas Air National Guard. The memo uses terminolgy of the Army/Texas National Guard, rather than Air Force/Texas Air National Guard.
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