[NavVet]

What did the Kerry Campaign know and when?

[Redcoat LI]

"'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."

Seems pretty straightforward.

[Darkwolf377]

I love the headline--makes a subtle yet definite point--This guy was not PART of the Kerry campaign.

If the parties were reversed it would be "Bush-Backer Source of Files"

[Dog]

Post this over on DU ...and watch them faint.

[Truth Table]

Thanks for your service, and the DNC, CBS, as well as the Kerry campaign are going to take a very big fall. If it's big enough, it may give Bush long coattails so that congress will be front loaded with enough members to force the dems to play ball on judicial nominations. This would also push Hilliary (or any democrat) out of 08. America simply will not put up with this nonsense.

[Fenris6]

Thought Max Cleland is/was working for the Kerry campaign?

[WestTexasWend]

Granted, it's about a 2hr drive, but I wonder if Burkett was anywhere around when Cleland went to Crawford to deliver the letter to Bush a few weeks back...

[Juana la Loca]

I live in Georgia, so I can say unequivocally that Max Cleland is a troll.

[Damifino]

I'm a first time poster, but have been reading your board for quite awhile. Thanks for all the good stuff over the years! I've never felt that I could add much to your threads with anthing I'd author but today I have a few points that I have not seen with respect to this CBS mess.

I doubt if this Burkett character is the source that CBS is protecting for a few reasons:
1) Burkett is not worth the political/creditability cost of protecting him.
2) It's been posted here that he (Burkett) has been shopping his "story" around for some time. As far as I know none of his "scoops" have taken any traction with anyone. Danger Dan described his source as unimpeachable; it'd be a stretch to describe Mr. Burkett this way. (and oh by the way, this is also the reason the source could not be Rove. Dan isn't so stupid to accept something from Rove and an anonymous fax, (from Rove) can't be considered unimpeachable).

I suspect Burkett may have authored the memo but its not likely to have been delivered to CBS by him. This raises the far more sinister side:

The Dem's new ad references the memos in the segment directly. It really looks like a top notch production job, nothing that was tossed together overnight. How can one find out when the piece was produced? If production for it was kicked off significantly before the 60 Min II piece was aired there is likely MUCH more to this story.

Just my 2 cents.

[End_Clintonism_Now]

[tvn]

MEDIA ETHICS PROJECT SEEKS FCC RULING AGAINST CBS NEWS FOR RATHERGATE


Media Ethics Project (“MEP”) of New York today petitioned the FCC to sanction CBS News and its parent organization, Viacom, Inc., for its recent broadcast of news reports based on forged documents.

In announcing the FCC filing, MEP Chairman William L. Whitely stated: “Most people familiar with Dan Rather’s reports have seen solid evidence from various credible sources showing the documents to be forged. Yet, day in and day out, CBS has stubbornly continued to maintain that the memos are authentic. This supremely arrogant conduct violates the public trust and FCC rules and policies. Viacom cannot be allowed to flaunt the Commission’s rules in this manner. ”

MEP seeks a ruling by the FCC finding that the deliberate actions of CBS and Viacom maintaining the authenticity of the documents, constitute broadcasting of falsified, faked, distorted or staged news reports in violation of Commission policies. MEP is asking the FCC to sanction Viacom including imposing fines and ordering forfeiture of one or more broadcast licenses .

Mr. Whitely added that, “This whole episode must be regarded as a remarkable failure of management. It is truly sad that the proud traditions of professionalism of CBS News, the division built by the likes of Morrow, Severeid, Reasoner, Mudd and Cronkite, have been allowed to slowly fade away. In their place is an organization where unprincipled ego, bias, negligence, partisanship and vindictiveness apparently determine the setting of management policy. Such changes are not in the best interest of CBS, the CBS affiliates and CBS shareholders, nor, most certainly, are they in the public interest as well. Staying to this course, the House that Paley Built will likely become the Network that Rather Wrecked.”

MEP has asked that the FCC expedite its consideration of the group’s Petition for Declaratory Ruling against CBS News.

See a full copy of the MEP Petition for Declaratory Ruling at http://mediaethicsproject.blogspot.com/ or www.mediaethics.8k.com

With MEP's filing, the FCC now has a formal Petition to review requesting that CBS be found guilty for violating Commission policy prohibiting the broadcasting of falsified, faked, distorted or staged news reports as contrary to the public interest.

All interested parties will now be able to contact the FCC to request that it take immediate action on the MEDIA ETHICS PROJECT Petition For Declaratory Ruling Against CBS News.

FCC Contact Information:

Chairman Michael K. Powell: Michael.Powell@fcc.gov ---
Commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy: Kathleen.Abernathy@fcc.gov --- Commissioner Michael J. Copps: Michael.Copps@fcc.gov ---
Commissioner Kevin J. Martin: KJMWEB@fcc.gov ---
Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein: Jonathan.Adelstein@fcc.gov

[wolicy_ponk]

[Jenya]

Burkett could have produced the docufakes, but in collusion with the Kerry campaign. It's not so much protecting Burkett but what he knows. He's a loose cannon, and I have a feeling that if he goes down, he's taking everyone with him.

[Lunatic Fringe]

iMAGINE IF THE ROLES WERE REVERSED. hEADLINE WOULD READ:

FAKE MEMOS LINKED TO BUSH CAMPAIGN!

[Solar Wind]

Thanks for the article. Many on this forum have suspected for some time that Burkett had funneled the documents to the DNC.

In Texas there is a core group of committed Bush haters who have had it in for Bush for a long time, well before he became president. This group is almost insane with hatred. They seem to always plotting some new way to get at Bush. They are all quite mad and not very good at these schemes. They do get caught sometimes.

Burkett's MO is very similar to that of Juanita Yvette Lozano. She is the DNC hack who sent tapes and materials on Bush's 2000 debate prep to a former US Rep who was at the time a Gore campaign adviser. Burkett apparently sent the documents to a US senator who is a Kerry campaign adviser.

These closely allied but officially unrelated groups independently dream up this stuff. Then they slip it to the DNC. The DNC uses what it likes and rewards those who come up with good stuff.

Unfortunately for Lazano in Austin the US Rep turned the tapes over to the authorities and she went to the hoosegow. see: http://www.dailytexanonline.com/news/2001/03/22/News/Suspect.In.Bush.Debate.Tape.Scandal.Released.From.Jail-699268.shtml

In the case of Burkett, the DNC, CBS and Rather wanted too badly the Documents to be true and were blinded to how bad they were.

Mr Sol.

[Bernard]

Let's go for the simple theory here, folks; with all the noise level about these documents, somebody's name should have been leaked already.

It's most simple if there is no source whatsoever, and the staff at CBS made this up themselves. I know the media types consider Dan Rather an, "honest man, a good man, a wonderful journalist", but this devotion to a confidential source while the world is falling makes this source look more like an imaginary friend.

[NavySEAL F-16]

Still no mention of Burkett being with the Army National Guard.

They do stipulate Air National Guard when talking about President Bush and Albaugh, but notice how Burkett is identified. Only as a member of the National Guard.