Ex-Guardsman Is Said to Be a CBS Source

NY Times ^ | 9/16/04

[avant_garde]

Wasn't it reported Burkett had a nervous breakdown and blamed Bush? Doesn't it make sense the DNC would seek out someone of questionable mental stability to be their fallguy? I wonder if he has the book "Catcher in the Rye." In every movie, the fall guy always is unstable and has the book.

[okiegop]

This story about Bush and his NG files has been an urban legend in Texas Democratic political circles for years. As you know, urban legends are never true. It looks like they found someone to re-create the legend and turn it into 6 forged documents. Whether Dan Ra_ther knew anything about it up front, who knows.

[planekT]

"A war cooked up in Texas" Old Ted Kennedy must be a prophet. His words have finally come true.

Cooked up in Texas, maybe, but I bet the recipe came from Boston and DNC headquarters.

It's good to be a Texan about now if you're a Republican. Not only do we get another four years of Bush and Cheney, but it looks like the Kerry camp has graciously provided us some brooms to clean out our house.

I'm lovin it!

[kennyboy509]

bill and hillary are behind this.

Releash the dawgs o warr!

carvilles prints are on this.

kerry iz dead meat cuz it was too close.

yeah i know i sound like nut . I feel like a nut.

sometimes ya don't.

[faithincowboys]

Here's thelawyer's bio.

All the Leftwing special interest groups are well represented. Most interesting is this--

**** Travis County Democratic Party Chairman, 1996-98.****

That ties him to Rather and his daughter and Barnes.

and then there's this--

"Traveled to Palm Beach, Florida, November-December 2000, to assist Democratic Party in vote recount efforts"


David Van Os
Summarized Biography

Born: February 19, 1950, Kilgore, Texas
Age: 54
Employment and Professional Background

1976-78:

Associate Counsel, National Treasury Employees Union

1978-81:


Associate, Law Office of David R. Richards

1981-83:


In-house counsel for District 12, Texas, Communications Workers of America

1983-1989:


General Counsel, Texas AFL-CIO

1984-present:


Member and managing shareholder of law firm concentrating in Union-side labor law, representation of workers, and civil rights and human rights issues - David Van Os & Associates, P.C., composed of six lawyers, located in San Antonio, with regional practice from Texas to Missouri



Professional Honors

AV-Rated Attorney, Martindale-Hubbell peer rating system, highest rating for legal ability and ethics



Listed in Best Lawyers in America, Woodward & White, by peer review, Labor & Employment Law, since 1986

Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation, by invitation

Member, College of the State Bar of Texas


Listed in Texas Monthly’s “Super Lawyers 2003”


Political & Community Activities, Positions, & Honors



Life Member, NAACP


1985-1995 – Member, Board of Directors, Texas Equal Access to Justice Foundation, by appointment of Texas Supreme Court

1990 – President’s Citation for Achievement in Civil Rights, Austin NAACP

1990 – Civil Libertarian of the Year Award, Central Texas Chapter, ACLU

2002 – Texas Women’s Political Caucus “Good Guy” Award

Attended every Texas Democratic State Convention since 1974

Block-walked for Democratic Party general election tickets in 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002

President, Northeast Austin Democrats, 1978-1980

Democratic Precinct Chairman, Travis County, 1981-88

Travis County Democratic Party Chairman, 1996-98

Ran in statewide General Election as Democrat for Texas Supreme Court, 1998



2000-2003 – Chairman, North East Bexar County Democrats


2001-03 – Democratic Precinct Chairman, Bexar County

Represented Austin NAACP in federal voting rights suit over Austin City Council elections


Represented LULAC in federal voting rights suit over Austin School Board elections


Represented Central Texas ACLU in federal suit over re-segregation of Austin AISD elementary schools

Traveled to Palm Beach, Florida, November-December 2000, to assist Democratic Party in vote recount efforts

[Southack]

"Do you think it's a coincidence that they all held this story until Rather had on the Church Lady?"

Coincidence? The NY Times and Washington Post held their 3 (so far) stories because of CBS' "big announcement" today that added suspense for hours and then turned out to be a non-statement by their CBS Pres Heyward.

That little round of drama insured that the big print news guys would be running this story.

...But CBS didn't give the liberal print guys anything to hang their hat on, so the print guys had to go for real news instead.

They've known about Burkett, for instance, since yesterday...but are only publishing him as the source tomorrow (per this article being one of the first). If CBS had given them a bone during the "big" announcement today, they might have held off until after the hurricane passed.

Revealing the faxer, however, is going to speed this story up now. CBS has to explain *why* they considered scandal-clad Burkett to be so "unimpeachable".

Hang on, the ride is about to speed up!

The AWB Has Expired - Gun Owners Have Won Again For All Americans!

[Howlin]

Looks like Burkett has trouble with "authority."

[hobson]

All the usual suspects and relationships are identified here:

Bush's Brain Author Central Figure in Rather-Gate

[Deb]

This could push Burkett over the edge. I hope his daughter checks on him regularly.

[crazyhorse691]

Ben Barnes is a Texas Rat and ex-LBJ prodigy. He is well known to the Clintons as a fundraiser and is on the JFK campaign. He is one slippery Rat that has never done jail time. He is the link. He will try to use his 35 years of rooting around Texas politics to bargain his way out, but, he is the bridesmaid. He is disposable. I don't see anybody else higher up going down for this.

[okiegop]

Yes, we could end up with more than one person blowing their own brains out before the end of this week. Candidates are: 1. Ra_ther 2. Burkett 3. Van Os Any others....?

[vaudine]

Let me chime in on this 86 year old's memory. My 88 year old mother, who is spry and just quit driving, sounds soooo definite on some of the things she "remembers", but they just ain't so. She is educated, held responsible jobs (with civil svc, incidently--the AF), speaks intelligently, but remembers selectively, and has done so for years. Of course, CBS will keep on quoting her and ignoring Killian's family.

This mess is being pursued because the libs want to impress on everyone that Bush was AWOL, and probably using drugs--hence the skipped physical. Killian's son pointed out on Hannity tonight that the Oerations Officer would not be the one to order a flight physical. Also, isn't there a discrepancy in the dates? The memos are dated before his birth month, so he had not missed it at that time.

vaudine

[okiegop]

Just as long as this whole mess is tied to the Kerry campaign, that's all that matters.

[planekT]

This is rich. Howard Dean endorses Van Os.

YEEEEEEEEEEEHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

http://www.txdemocrats.org/news/detail/?id=159

[Kiss Me Hardy]

Here's another connection we might want to consider.

The anti-Bush author mentioned, James Moore, is a staunch defender of Burkett and has met him many times, and you can read all about it at the Rat site Buzzflash.

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/04/02/con04070.html

In a second Buzzflash interview, Moore says:

"As somebody who's tried to do these things for major broadcasting outlets and networks, I know how difficult that is. When the White House says they aren't answering questions, they aren't answering questions. And if you can't get to documents with independent sources, it's very hard to write these stories. I know of one national publication right now that has at least one source that has damning information about George W. Bush and the National Guard, and they can't write the story because they cannot get a second document or a second source on it. And it would have a huge impact on this campaign. So a lot of people actually are trying."

The interview is here: http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=16829


Moore also says nice things about USA Today reporter Dave Moniz:
"Dave Moniz at USA Today, who is consistently pursuing this story.

Well guess where the other set of forgeries turned up? At the newspaper of Moore's pal Moniz.

Here's the as-yet-uncomfirmed truth of the matter (IMHO):

James Moore has spent hours listening to Burkett spew his tales. Burkett has a lot of names, dates, background and documents with which Moore concocts the forgeries. He feeds them to producer Mapes, who is also popping in and out of Burkett's nuthouse, and to whom Moore obliquely refers by saying that "he's tried to do these things for major broadcasting outlets."

Now, a less concrete but definitely possible extension of the basic theory: Moore's Dem contacts in Texas let head office know that sensational evidence is at hand. CBS is now getting this tale from both sides -- via Burkett-Moore-Mapes and through the quiet word from Kerry's camp. So of course Rather's people believe it. They want to believe it.

So they're protecting the whole chain.

I like to do a little bit of handicapping at the track, and this is a proposition I'd be happy to put money on.

[Semi Civil Servant]

"Wasn't it reported Burkett had a nervous breakdown and blamed Bush? Doesn't it make sense the DNC would seek out someone of questionable mental stability to be their fallguy?"

FYI
Burkett story here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1217441/posts

Looks like Burkett's is Rather's "unimpeachable source". But you can take it to the bank that there's more coming out. "Developing..." as Drudge says.

[nightdriver]

"Mr. Adams said that Mr. Burkett had told him afterward of having witnessed the sanitizing of Mr. Bush's Guard file.....

OK, now just how in the h$ll do you "sanitize" a military file? And with people watching?

I think this Burkett is as full of it as a Christmas goose.

[Califelephant]

CBS has to explain *why* they considered scandal-clad Burkett to be so "unimpeachable".

Here's the thing that drives me up a wall: there is no such thing as an unimpeachable news source.

Like they used to say in the news business, "If your mother tells you she loves you, verify it." WHO, WHO, WHO would any of us consider an "unimpeachable" source if we were in the news business? One thing's for sure, it wouldn't be this Burkett guy.

[Exigence]

No one has explained how Killian's supposed files were obtained.

They are alluding -- or trying to allude -- that Burkett fished the papers out of the trash can. His original story that was in Moore's book was that the Bush Guard files were being sanitized and things being thrown in the trash. He "witnessed" it, but no one else apparently did (or so he said).

He probably told Mapes the whole ridiculous sob story and she said she needed corroboration, so he went home and typed it up. A short fax later, and Danny was on the air.

Remember, Burkett has managed to get this story into two books: Moore and Kelly. It's amazing how a willingness to believe and a burning desire to break a big story against a long time "enemy" can override commonsense.

[Mount Athos]

Killian’s secretary pointed out the terminology in the forged document was not consistent with Bush’s Air National Guard unit at all, but she did recognize it as being absolutely consistent with Army National Guard terminology. Bill Burkett was in the … Army National Guard.

Here’s a lengthy interview with Burkette by extreme rabid partisan Kevin Drum. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1214406/posts

More fun from 2000: http://www.onlinejournal.com/bush/110400Starr-Conover/110400starr-conover.html

Newsweek explicitly states Burkette is the source, a person with a grudge against the National Guard and Bush: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5974040/site/newsweek/

Burkette’s February accusation in CNN: “"I glanced down at the top of those documents. In ink was the word ‘Bush, George W., 1 Lt.’ This was a performance report. I was right at the trash can. I filtered through the top five or six pages in that, and they were all copies and originals of old performance documents and pay records for ‘Bush, George W., 1 Lt.". http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/12/elec04.prez.bush.texas.records/

The Boston Globe raises questions about the above CNN Burkette February anti-Bush accusation: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/articles/2004/02/13/doubts_raised_on_bush_accuser?mode=PF

Click on the several Bill Burkett links here and learn just how unusually motivated a partisan democrat he is, in his own words: http://www.geocities.com/stoutdem/chair.html

Burkette attempted (and failed) to sue his commanding officers for conspiring to deny him medical treatment: http://www.3rdcoa.courts.state.tx.us/opinions/htmlopinion.asp?OpinionId=10979

Article points out forgeries were faxed from Abeline Texas Kinko's, the closest one to Bill Burkett's home. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24635-2004Sep15.html