Posted on 09/18/2004 7:27:43 PM PDT by jhouston
In the early-morning hours of Sept. 8, Dan Rather was preparing to fly to Washington for a crucial interview in the Old Executive Office Building, but torrential rain kept him in New York.
White House communications director Dan Bartlett had agreed to talk to "60 Minutes," but only on condition that the CBS program provide copies of what were being billed as newly unearthed memos indicating that President Bush had received preferential treatment in the National Guard. The papers were hand-delivered at 7:45 a.m. CBS correspondent John Roberts, filling in for Rather, sat down with Bartlett at 11:15.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Nervous breakdown is a non-medical term but is used as a polite way of saying Burkett was hospitalized twice in the last 6 years for depression.
August 21, and Cleland came to Texas August 24.
I don't beleive they are surprised. It is an intentional ploy to deflect accusations onto Bush and away from themselves. It's the most disgusting part of the whole fiasco...the way they PRETEND that they don't get it.
THEY GET IT.
"Mid August"
I believe it may have been when he was in Texas with the political theatre bit.
Got a date on that farce?
Also, anyone have a source that says Barnes was convinced to come forward due to the discovery of these documents..?
I remember this vividly, but I don't remember which story or stories it was mentioned it.
'We're collectively better at most everything than the WH staff.'
Bush-wah, the WH staff played this to a TEE. "whaaa the hell?"..."who, me?"....."whatever..."
absolutely 5 steps ahead of CBS et al.
Great diagram - needs more global exposure - maybe Drudge would consider posting it???
One other thing: No mention of Van Os.
Thanks! It's probably too big but I will send it to him.
you are SO right. WaPo says Barnes was first out of the box, before the docs.
CBS says docs first, then Barnes.
Confusion generated because, like sKerry's stories, they can never remember the LIES correctly...and THAT is what is BRNGING THEM DOWN.
Forward this info to Hewitt, Rush and Hannity.
and to the NY POST and the WaTimes.
***Rather and CBS now blame the White House. If the White House had just called them liars and forgers they would have never...***
Ah HAH! Now the story is out. CBS kept saying that the White House had no problem with the memos' authenticity, making it sound as though the White House had plenty of time to examine them. They also said that they GOT the memos from the White House. Now we know that they didn't.
You are right.
Here is a plausible scenario:
After Burkett connected with the Kerry campaign i.e. Senator Cleland, discussions among the staff led to some ideas including using them in their own ads. But they were worried about their integrity, probably endorsed by Ben Barnes as he was in the area to look at them. After Barnes confirmed to the Kerry campaign that the documents did exist and appear authentic the Kerry camp wanted an even higher standard of confirmation. Since contact with Cleland had been established and probable discussions with Senator Kerry, Kerry sent Cleland to look at the documents ---the stunt at the Bush ranch was simply a ruse to disguise what he was really doing, and he confirmed that from his military knowledge the documents were authentic.
The Kerry campaign contacted CBS after the decision was made that this would be more advantagous as a news event rather than a campaign ad and the additional vetting would confirm the story. It was probable that connections to CBS were active if not even "friendly" knowing that Dan Rather was looking for more info on a "supposed" story he had been working on for years.
The Kerry campaign led CBS to Burkett and Barnes and the unimpeachable source for the documents was not Burkett but Senator Cleland who provided CBS with the leads and personal assurance the documents were authentic.
This is why Rather is hiding. If the ultimate source of his information is the Kerry campaign he has a host of problems to deal with. He is not protecting Burkett. He is particularly protecting Senator Cleland.
Possible.
WE don't know. But we do know the result of not doing so. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
I agree with that, and I personnaly think the DNC or Kerry campaign had the documents before CBS saw them. The American Spectator's "Anatomy of a Forgery" has the forgeries in DNC / Kerry campaign hands weeks before CBS saw them.
The only nit I was picking with your previous secenario was Barnes getting the forgeries DIRECTLY FROM the forger. Maybe, maybe not, was the only difference I took.
'They complain that they can't afford to do in-depth investigative journalism, '
no, I think that was the WH guy, Bartlett, who said that:
" But Bartlett said CBS never asked him to verify the memos and that he had neither the time nor the resources to do so."
The list of people who could have vouched for these documents grows shorter every day. Right now there is not a single living person who knew Killian and Bush at the time who has not denied the validity of these documents.
That leaves a rather large question gaping -- who the heck could have vouched for them? Other than Burkett?
CBS did not get suckered. They walked into this with eyes wide shut.
On August 25, he posted the message that "we have reassembled [Bush's] files".
Barnes contacted Rather "during the Republican convention" (Aug 30-Sept 2).
On September 2, the documents were faxed from Kinko's.
Mapes contacted CBS on September 3.
I have read this story before.
It was called "Moby Dick."
The Dan Rather character was called Ahab and the Bush family was called "the great white whale."
I seem to remember Ahab came to a bad end.
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