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Forged Doc 'Source': I Contacted Kerry Campaign
News Max.Com ^ | 9-18-04

Posted on 09/18/2004 7:13:58 PM PDT by hope

Reprinted from NewsMax.com
Saturday, Sept. 18, 2004 9:10 p.m. EDT

Forged Doc 'Source': I Contacted Kerry Campaign

AUSTIN - A retired Texas National Guard official mentioned as a possible source for disputed documents about President Bush's service in the Guard said he passed along information to a former senator working with John Kerry's campaign.

Also Saturday, a White House official said Bush has reviewed disputed documents that purport to show he refused orders to take a physical examination in 1972 and did not recall having seen them previously. The long-running story on Bush's Texas Air National Guard service took an unusual twist when CBS broadcast a report on what it said were the newly discovered records. The authenticity of the documents has come into doubt.

In his first public comment on the CBS documents controversy, the president told The Union Leader of Manchester, N.H., "There are a lot of questions about the documents, and they need to be answered."

The retired Guard official, Bill Burkett, said in an Aug. 21 e-mail to a list of Texas Democrats that after getting through "seven layers of bureaucratic kids" in the Democrat's campaign, he talked with former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland about information that would counter criticism of Kerry's Vietnam War service. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the e-mail Saturday.

"I asked if they wanted to counterattack or ride this to ground and outlast it, not spending any money. (Cleland) said counterattack. So I gave them the information to do it with," Burkett wrote.

Burkett, who lives just outside of Abilene, wrote that no one at the Kerry campaign called him back.

The e-mail was distributed to a Yahoo list of Texas Democrats. The site, which had about 570 members Saturday, is not affiliated with the state party.

Republican National Committee spokesman Jim Dyke suggested collaboration between Burkett and the Kerry campaign. "The trail of connections is becoming increasingly clear," he said.

In the telephone interview published Saturday, Bush replied "I don't know" to a question whether the White House had evidence that either the Kerry campaign or the Democratic Party were involved in releasing the disputed papers.

"The Kerry campaign had absolutely nothing to do with these documents, no ifs, ands or buts," spokesman David Wade said. "Jim Dyke inhabits the fantasy world of spin where George Bush pretends we haven't lost millions of jobs and everything in Iraq is coming up roses. He'd be better served getting answers from the president, not hurling baseless attacks."

Burkett, who identifies himself as a Democrat, did not return several phone messages left by The Associated Press over the past week. There was no answer at his telephone number Saturday.

Burkett's lawyer, David Van Os, a Democratic candidate for the Texas Supreme Court, issued a statement this week saying Burkett "no longer trusts any possible outcome of speaking to the press on any issue regarding George W. Bush."

Burkett, who retired from the National Guard in 1999, has been cited in media reports as a source for the CBS News "60 Minutes" story about documents allegedly written by one of Bush's former commanders that indicated the future president ignored an order to take a physical.

The authenticity of the documents has been called into question by some experts and relatives of the late Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, who supposedly wrote them when he supervised Bush in 1972 and 1973. One of the memos indicated that Killian had been pressured to sugarcoat Bush's performance.

CBS has stood by its reporting, but said the network would redouble its efforts to determine the authenticity of the documents.

Leading operatives for the Texas Democratic Party did not receive Burkett's August e-mail, said Kelly Fero, one of the state party's strategists.

"The Democrats who run the party and are sort of the main strategists in Texas never saw it," Fero said. "We have lots of groups of Democrats who communicate among themselves constantly by e-mail."

Burkett, 55, told the AP in a lengthy telephone interview in February that he now is a supporter of Democrats, although at the time he said he didn't necessarily back Kerry.

He said he overheard a conversation in 1997 between then-Gov. Bush's chief of staff, Joe Allbaugh, and then-Adjutant Gen. Daniel James of the Texas Air National Guard in which the two men spoke of getting rid of any military records that would "embarrass the governor."

Burkett said he saw documents from Bush's file discarded in a trash can a few days later at Camp Mabry in Austin. Burkett described them as performance and pay documents. Allbaugh and James denied the allegations.

Burkett retired from the National Guard after more than 28 years of service because of medical reasons. He was involved in a lawsuit against the Guard over his medical benefits, which he lost on appeal.

Associated Press writers Scott Lindlaw in Kennebunkport, Maine, and Liz Austin in Dallas contributed to this report.

© 2004 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Editor's note:

108


TOPICS: Front Page News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2004electionfraud; billburkett; danrather; forgedmemos; forgery; kerry; kerrycampaign; kerrycampaignscandal; killian; lyingdemocrats0; lyingliars; mediabias; pajamapeople1; rathergate; selectricgate
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1 posted on 09/18/2004 7:14:00 PM PDT by hope
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To: hope
Cleland. What a disgrace to his country.
2 posted on 09/18/2004 7:15:24 PM PDT by ClintonBeGone (Take the first step in the war on terror - defeat John Kerry)
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To: hope
"The Kerry campaign had absolutely nothing to do with these documents, no ifs, ands or buts," spokesman David Wade said.

Bullcrap!!! Cleland is working for Ketchup Boy, therefore he's a part of his campaign.

Cleland is a disgrace to his country! Shame on you, Cleland.

3 posted on 09/18/2004 7:19:52 PM PDT by 12 Gauge Mossberg (I Approved This Posting)
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To: ClintonBeGone

Wonder if Max Cleland visited his buddies when he made is big visit down to the Bush ranch.

Could that be possible?


4 posted on 09/18/2004 7:21:54 PM PDT by Republican Abroad
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To: hope

Robin is the unimpeachable source (Rathers Daughter)

Says TT while throwing the chicken bones and typing forged documents to bolster his argument.


5 posted on 09/18/2004 7:24:02 PM PDT by TexasTransplant (I made my Fortune selling Sugar Coated Cat Turds on a Stick at the DNC Convention)
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To: hope

Burkett forged the documents and gave them to Cleland? Do you think this story has legs?


6 posted on 09/18/2004 7:25:59 PM PDT by Dr.Deth
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To: Republican Abroad

Great point!


7 posted on 09/18/2004 7:31:18 PM PDT by ClintonBeGone (Take the first step in the war on terror - defeat John Kerry)
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To: Republican Abroad

That's an interesting question. Do you recall the date of Cleland's visit?


8 posted on 09/18/2004 7:31:40 PM PDT by Faith
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To: 12 Gauge Mossberg

Just damn, Mad Max strikes again, with another self inflicted wound.


9 posted on 09/18/2004 7:33:36 PM PDT by Ursus arctos horribilis ("It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees!" Emiliano Zapata 1879-1919)
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To: Republican Abroad

I was thinking the same.


10 posted on 09/18/2004 7:35:02 PM PDT by hope (great men talk about ideas~average men talk about things~small men talk about others)
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To: 12 Gauge Mossberg

Cleland is a disgrace, 12 Gauge:

It's also common knowlege around DC, that 'Ol' and a leg' has been sucking around hard for a spot on Kerry's Cabinet since the Democratic Primaries.

If his connection does make the Headlines. I don't think his being a PC Cripple is going to keep him from being ground to a pulp.

Jack.


11 posted on 09/18/2004 7:35:18 PM PDT by Jack Deth (Mostly Harmless)
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To: Republican Abroad

Cleland visited the Bush ranch on Wednesday, August 25. Four days after the Burkett e-mail to Texas Dems.


12 posted on 09/18/2004 7:36:19 PM PDT by Faith
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To: Faith

well, there ya go!


13 posted on 09/18/2004 7:37:05 PM PDT by hope (great men talk about ideas~average men talk about things~small men talk about others)
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To: Faith
Cleland visited the Bush ranch on Wednesday, August 25. Four days after the Burkett e-mail to Texas Dems.

Cleland was there with Jim Rassmann, one of Kerry's Band of Brothers.
14 posted on 09/18/2004 7:39:48 PM PDT by igoramus987
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To: hope

he talked with former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland about information that would counter criticism of Kerry's Vietnam War service. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the e-mail Saturday.


15 posted on 09/18/2004 7:41:06 PM PDT by BenLurkin (We have low inflation and and low unemployment.)
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To: Dr.Deth
ROTFLMAO!

16 posted on 09/18/2004 7:46:53 PM PDT by Paleo Conservative (What did Dan Rather know, and when did he know it?)
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To: Big Steve; deport; blackie; Deb; nickcarraway

ping


17 posted on 09/18/2004 7:54:38 PM PDT by Lady In Blue (On Election Day,President Bush: "WIN ONE FOR THE GIPPER!")
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To: Dr.Deth; Paleo Conservative

Ha! can't believe I missed that :)


18 posted on 09/18/2004 8:43:43 PM PDT by hope (great men talk about ideas~average men talk about things~small men only talk about others)
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To: hope; Faith

Hope and faith in the same post. What a night!


19 posted on 09/18/2004 11:07:26 PM PDT by beyond the sea (Free Martha Mitchell......... and Jail Teraaaaaayza - let them run around naked, at least the kids)
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To: hope
information that would counter criticism of Kerry's Vietnam War service.

LOL! Yeh, that sure worked, Burkett! All you did was screw Kerry, CBS, and all the whacko libs. GOOD WORK, CONGRATULATIONS!

The Swifties are honest. They cannot be countered!

20 posted on 09/18/2004 11:10:44 PM PDT by beyond the sea (Free Martha Mitchell......... and Jail Teraaaaaayza - let them run around naked, at least the kids)
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