Texan Involved in CBS Report Tried to Help Kerry Campaign

New York Times ^ | 9/16/04 | DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and JIM RUTENBERG

[AFPhys]

You're right. The correct term is FORGERY.

I am also getting a bit annoyed that the Old Media does not credit New Media sources for making them aware of items that they then follow up on. Most of the items in this story has been on FR already this week, so it is already posted on the internet somewhere, or occasionally even generated here.
/

[johniegrad]

I didn't realize that Burkett's attorney was running for Texas Supreme Court.

[b4its2late]

In another development, ABC News reported on Friday that former Col. Walter B. Staudt - who interviewed Mr. Bush for enrollment to the Texas Air National Guard in 1968 and who was named in a disputed Killian memo as exerting influence on behalf of Mr. Bush - said he "never pressured anybody about George Bush." He also told ABC News that he planned to vote for Mr. Bush.

This should be front page NYT, but it got buried in this article.

[savedbygrace]

So now we have Burkett, who is the number one suspect as the source of the discredited fraudulent memos, contacting the Kerry campaign during the time period when the memos were likely given to CBS.

Does it even pass the giggle test that the Kerry campaign never called Burkett back to see what he had? We might not have all the lines connected yet, but it looks like we're beginning to see most of the dots.

[Mo1]

All I can say is WOW. The NYTIMES puts it smack dab in the Kerry Campaign.......holy crap. The NYTIMES.....wow.

Yep ... kind of makes a person go hmmmmmmmmm

[truthkeeper]

Ollie North was on Hannity the other day, and flat out called Rather a liar. It was refreshing to hear someone say it.

He also called him "a despicable human being" and said "let him sue me."

[Pilsner]

All I can say is WOW. The NYTIMES puts it smack dab in the Kerry Campaign

It looks as if the rest of the MSM has written Rather off -- his credibility is gone even if he brazens it out and keep his job. Since Rather cannot be saved the New York Times and the rest will run with the story for cover against their own bias. Next times they get accused of being anti-Republican the will say: "That's ridiculous, just look at how we covered the Dan Rather story!"

[texasbluebell]

I was wondering the same thing. This appears it could be some type of personnel vendetta. Is it possible their paths have crossed years back and Burkett just hates President Bush?

What I heard on Fox was that Burkett got some sort of illness in Panama when he was on business for the Guard, in the 90s, and that he was refused compensation for his medical care, for some reason.

Then he held then-Gov. Bush responsible, and has been attacking him ever since.

[Texan]

Mr. Burkett continued, "I asked if they wanted to counterattack or ride this to ground and outlast it, not spending any money. He said counterattack."

To me, it looks like Burkett might have made them a proposition..."you can try to ride this out (presumabily the Swiftboat ads) NOT SPENDING ANY MONEY".......or "you can counterattack" (and I will help you, BUT IT WILL COST MONEY).

Is there a possibility that the "forged memos" were bought and paid for?

[Geezerette]

Paul, maybe you can clear up a question I have about a caller I heard the other day on a talk radio show:

He said that the memos were retrieved from something like Microfische (spelling?). Old documents 30 years old have to be stored this way. He said that when these records (from the micro database) are printed out, they take on the characteristics of the medium they are printed out on ... like Microsoft Word.

I have only heard this idea proposed once. What say you?

g

[ottothedog]

That is a great logic point that I hadn't thought of, but here is where that probaby falls down, though. The sKerry campaign hasn't "explained" anything, from Christmas in Cambodia to "I voted for it before I voted against it". The upside would be that it would be another nail in Jenjis' coffin (how many nails can you put in a coffin?).

[Brilliant]

The NYT reported the story they way they wanted it to be reported. They say that Burkett "unsuccessfully" tried to aid the Kerry campaign.

They still have not retracted the story they wrote based on the forged documents. I'm not sure who is worse, CBS or the NYT.

[Vinomori]

Also, it has been said that Rather was working on this story for four or five years.

I used to be a reporter for a newspaper, and I can assure you, even by my sloppy and incompetent standards, this story was not researched at ALL by CBS....they keep saying and even crowing about how much they put into it up front to guarantee their "unimpeachable" sources, but there wasn't even the most rudimentary accuracy or authenticity checking going on....my editor would have made me hunt down Staudt and the secretary for starters (not way later) and my editor would have insisted that I REPORT the Killian family's opiniuon that the docs were total fakes, and I could go on and on about very basic things I would have had to do in the name of fairness to the story itself....CBS believes we will all "accept" these statements about being their "thorough and fair" up front on this story simply because they are CBS. The poetic justice now is that people will no longer accept anything broadcast on that network simply because it is CBS.

[Vinomori]

He probably feels real bad, but he'll feel a lot worse sitting in a prison cell for wire fraud, falsifying a military document, forgery and any other felony they can make stick.

Mark Geragos is almost finished with Scott, so he could be available to make this into the trial of the century.

[knak]

Ka-Boom

[Ann Archy]

THIS...THIS is THE story that the Rats have tried to sink Bush with for at least years, so we are now to believe that the Kerry Campaign DISMISSED Burkett's info and didn't get back to him on it??? Do they think we are STUPID!!

Max Clelland is up to his eyeballs in this story also!! So is the 86 yr. old secy.

mary Mapes said that they believed that the old lady typed the documents...the old lady said they were NOT typed by her but they were "real". Mary Mapes also said MORE would be coming out. I guess they are being Forged as we speak.

[Ann Archy]

Burkett is tied in to Michael Moore or some other Moore?

[Ann Archy]

Bush GAVE Max Cleland the post of VA Secretary, andthis is how Maxie repays the favor!!

[Ann Archy]

Parse..Parse..Parse...Fabricate....not the same as TYPED.

[dodger]

'Hoist by one's own petard' is a line from Shakespeare. There was an FR thread on this a few years ago.

Basically, a petard was a mideaval bomb that was attached directly to castles to blast openings. They were often screwed in from a hoist apparatus to get at weaker areas of the walls and gates.

The term 'hoist by one's own petard' seems to refer to a soldier getting blasted up when his own bomb went off early (e.g., Max Clelland).