Posted on 09/17/2004 6:43:50 AM PDT by FlyLow
Dan Rather and CBS News on Wednesday night came up with what looks like their final defense of the use of probably forged documents to discredit President Bush's service in the National Guard. Rather said that the controversial documents may be "re-creations" of actual documents that he doesn't have!
The latest turn in the scandal is a clever ploy and shell game on the part of Rather and it may buy him some time. He's trying to convince the publicand his colleagues in the pressthat the real issue isn't whether the documents are fakes but whether they convey the truth about Bush.
As a result of this new twist, the critics of CBS News who have been waiting for a Rather apology or firing may have to wait even longerperhaps in vain. The ambiguous White House response to the documentsby refusing to denounce them and in fact providing them to news organizationshas enabled CBS News to put forward this dubious defense of what is clearly questionable conduct by a major news organization.
By any reasonable standard, CBS News failed to properly investigate the story before putting it on the air. In the week that has passed since the story aired, CBS News has been desperately trying to find various "experts" to add some weight or credibility to its objectionable conduct and conclusions.
(Excerpt) Read more at aim.org ...
Don't believe this for a moment. There are at least two more 'huge' stories that are going to break before the election. This was only the first in a series.
This type of stuff only works if it seems like there is a new revelation every couple of weeks. The candidate starts looking beleagured and it gives the MSM an excuse to keep talking about it.
Note the story in NRO today suggesting that right now, Pierce is examining a whole bunch of documents for CBS. The 'recreated' file is much bigger than we currently know.
The first four memos were only intended to get Bush to take a position so the counterpunch could land. That way, the story would be, not that Bush was not, at 30, someone you would want as a role model for your son. Rather, the story would be that Bush lied recently about stuff 30 years ago.
Bush has played that cleverly by not answering the charges. But CBS is going to figure out a way to land the counterpunch. And, at this very moment, Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw are working on their own below-the-belt punches. And, somewhere, other Democrats are working on a Bush DUI redux story. None of this has to have any substance. It just has to happen in a way that creates the impression that Bush is going downhill and stonewalling or has to occur in a way that the public hasn't the time to absorb it before the vote--eg, the DUI story.
It's going to be a very bumpy ride between now and the election. So put on your pajamas and fasten your seatbelt :)
Dan Rather is still an altered toad with no top lip.
Rather has always been an evil scumbag. He has always been a phoney. He deserves to be fired immediately as well as 90% of people at CBS news. What a bunch of pathetic PC toadies.
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