[counterpunch]

During the Republican National Convention in New York, Rather got a call from Ben Barnes, a onetime Texas lieutenant governor and veteran Democrat who has known the anchor, a former Houston TV reporter, for 30 years. Barnes said he was ready to say before the cameras that he had pulled strings to get Bush a coveted slot in the Texas Guard in 1968. Mapes had long been urging Barnes to tell his story.

On Friday, Sept. 3, the day after the convention ended, Mapes hit pay dirt. She told Howard her source had given her the documents.

Previously CBS told us that Ben Barnes came forward to give his testimony only after CBS has obtained these "documents".

But now we learn that Barnes -- Kerry's Texas campaign co-chair -- was the one who contacted Dan Rather.. a couple days before CBS recieved the documents!

Why is this significant?
Because that means Barnes saw the documents BEFORE CBS did. The source had to have shared the documents with the Kerry campaign first meaning it was the Kerry camoaign itself who most likely was the middle man in the hand off. At the very least the Kerry campaign co-ordinated it.

[Howlin]

How can you be sure he saw them first?

[Wild_Bill_8881]

Yep, the dates all kind of fit together with burketts phone conversations with max cleland when max told him to "get hold of somebody at DNC"

next thing ya know old sleazy barnes comes slithering out from under his rock like a horny horn toad to get hold of his good old buddy Danny RAT=ther

VERY interesting

[doug from upland]

Excellent analysis.

[VRWCTexan]

"On Friday, Sept. 3, the day after the convention ended, Mapes hit pay dirt. She told Howard her source had given her the documents."

Given Mape's obvious obsession it's plausible that she is "dirty" in this forgery scam (i.e. Barnes is ready and she needs something to back it up)

I believe the while Burkett may become the "fall-guy" - there are just too many errors in the memos that a career guardsman like Burkett would be able to avoid making on his own.

[bitt]

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.

[Mad Dog Charlie]

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.

[topdog1]

What a decent journalist would do is find out who was working at the Abilene Kinko's at the time the memos were sent, show him/her some pictures and see if we can get a positive ID on the sender. Since Burkett limps and uses a cane, it should be easy to verify or eliminate him. If it was Barnes or the lawyer or some other TX Dem party operative, then there's your smoking gun.

[NYCVirago]

Because that means Barnes saw the documents BEFORE CBS did. The source had to have shared the documents with the Kerry campaign first meaning it was the Kerry camoaign itself who most likely was the middle man in the hand off. At the very least the Kerry campaign co-ordinated it.

And something else -- the Ben Barnes video speech broke the Friday after the convention, thanks to Jim Moore tipping off the media about a months-old speech Barnes gave, which was located at the Austin for Kerry website. CBS announced a few days after that speech that they were going to interview Barnes. But they already had Barnes calling him to set up an interview before that story broke!

And who did Dan Rather use to help verify the docs as being real, and as a source in his story? Jim Moore.

[kennedy]

During the Republican National Convention in New York, Rather got a call from Ben Barnes, a onetime Texas lieutenant governor and veteran Democrat who has known the anchor, a former Houston TV reporter, for 30 years. Barnes said he was ready to say before the cameras that he had pulled strings to get Bush a coveted slot in the Texas Guard in 1968.

English Translation: Barnes said that the Kerry campaign was frantic over Kerry's plumeting poll numbers and had decided that they could not wait until October for CBS to release their October Surprise.