Posted on 09/20/2004 6:03:51 AM PDT by blogblogginaway
WASHINGTON -- In its rush to broadcast a story besmirching George W. Bush's Vietnam-era war service, CBS News has managed to turn a long-running controversy over the President's lacklustre military career into a public accounting of its own judgment.
After watching the network and iconic news anchor Dan Rather squirm for days amid mounting evidence that CBS fell for a hoax when it cited memos indicating that a squadron commander was pressured to "sugar coat" Mr. Bush's performance in the National Guard, the President finally slid in the dagger over the weekend.
"There are a lot of questions about the documents, and they need to be answered," Mr. Bush said, with even CBS's own hired experts now telling other news organizations that they warned the network about the authenticity of the memos before the broadcast.
The brouhaha extends far beyond the authenticity of the documents. Right-wing radio talk shows and Internet sites are almost beside themselves with glee, certain that they have exposed the veteran newsman's bias -- and Mr. Bush's rival, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, may end up suffering by association.
Almost alone, Mr. Rather appears to retain some hope that the papers in question aren't fake. "If the documents are not what we were led to believe, I'd like to break that story," he said last week.
But there may not be much of a story to break. Since it became an issue last week, document experts have established that the typewriters of the 1970s were incapable of producing the sophisticated letter-spacing evident in the memos. It has also been shown that the secretary who would have typed them says she didn't and that one of the officers named in the memo had been out of the military for 18 months at the time.
Mr. Bush's former commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Jerry Killian, has been dead for 20 years and can't explain what he really thought of the young lieutenant.
CBS says that even if the documents are suspect, it stands by the main thrust of its story -- that Mr. Bush got preferential treatment while flying fast jets in the Texas Air National Guard. "So much of the debate has focused on the documents, and no one has really challenged the story," senior executive Josh Howard told The Washington Post. But that too may change. Although CBS has refused to divulge its source for the documents, suspicions have focused on a disgruntled former guard officer who has admitted contacting Mr. Kerry's campaign.
Tenuous threads link the memos to Bill Burkett, a retired National Guard officer who claimed last month to have offered Mr. Kerry's campaign some information that could be used to attack Mr. Bush's military service. The memos faxed by CBS to one document expert bear the number of a Kinko's store near Mr. Burkett's home in Abilene, Tex., but Mr. Burkett has recently declined interviews.
Mr. Kerry's team denies any connection to the documents -- "no ifs, ands or buts," spokesman David Wade said.
But appearance can be everything. Mr. Kerry has deliberately packaged himself as a war hero, in contrast to Mr. Bush, who wangled a cushy, hard-partying, pilot position and never had to go to Vietnam. Wherever it originated, the attack against Mr. Bush's National Guard service apparently sought to rekindle those comparisons.
This is a time for CBS to expose a creep who lied to bring down a sitting President -- not a time to give Burkett a new platform. How many times does CBS have to be lied to before they realize liar's aren't credible?
It's insulting to those of us who aren't "hate Bush at all cost" people. Is CBS brain-dead? Can they really afford to tick-off half the people in the country? Do their advertisers want them to give us the finger?
Allowing this liar to continue lying in prime-time is like allowing a broadcaster who showed kiddy porn on TV to show more in his defense. Enough of the CBS pornographic hatefest -- no more "hate Bush" stuff -- not even as part of the excuse. Treat the man as a forger or give up the so called "news" department.
CBS did not fall for a hoax.
Rather promoted one.
"President's lacklustre military career.." OK, yea sure. Typical lefty twaddle from North Of The Border.
It's my firmly held opinion that CBS is trying to get people to tune in tonight to find out what Danny is going to say.
It would be a good idea to turn them off tonight and read about it tomorrow.
I sincerely hope that NO ONE watches this show.
Bing. Bing. Bing. Correct Response!
Was it good for you?
Welcome to FR.
I am continually amazed about the comments such as - Bush's lackluster military career.
He flew a death trap A/C. The USAF lost over a quarter of them through various mishaps. What if one fourth of all passenger A/C would be lost. How many would want to fly. It took guts to fly in most USAF A/C in that time.
On most deployments I made on my DD with A/C Carriers in the 60's, we would expect to lose 1-7 A/C in crashes and that was in peacetime. Flying military aircraft is not for sissies.
A grad from the USNA told us not to go Navy air for the money since he was collecting the pay from his two roommates, all of which were pilots and both of which were dead from accidents.
In all, Bush was more in harm's way than Kerry.
Nice. Did Paul Begala dictate that line verbatim?
Odd you used the second person there, in your analogy.
I think credibility is more like money. If you squander it, you have no more until you EARN it.
More than likely, he and Burkett were getting their stories straight of how Burkett had the original memos, but after 30 years they had deteriorated so badly that Burkett just re-did them.
Since CBS was in such a time constraint to get the news on the air for their program, they went with the reproductions and Ms. Mapes and Rather miscommunicated on them with Rather erroneously purporting they were valid documents, when in fact they were merely reproductions.
Sorry about the confusion folks, but that's the way it is in the bustling news business with deadlines to meet.
Wouldn't surprise me in the least to hear something like this coming from CBS and Rather today. Or a statement that they will reveal all on the next 60 Minutes II, so everybody tune in to hear them spin this line of drivel.
The CBS/Kerry campaign planned this smear.
They will never "pay" because the rest of the elite media is it on this scheme, and the cover-up is being played out with Rather as a victim.
This left-wing evil must be held to account, on Nov 2. Pray and take a dozen with you to the polls.
How un-biased of them to construct war-time service in the National Guard flying more than 500 hours in a fighter jet as a "lacklustre military career."
I suppose getting three minor bandaid injuries for self-inflicted wounds resulting from misfeasance in a four-month tour of duty and providing treasonous aid and comfort to a sworn enemy constitutes a "lustrous military career".
I didn't even get a meal!
One of its advertisers (Aventis) metaphorically gave one to me with the following message:
Your message
To: ronald.stovall@aexp.com
Subject:
Sent: Sat, 18 Sep 2004 15:05:12 +0200
was deleted without being read on Mon, 20 Sep 2004 12:19:09 +0200
My subject line was civil, by the way, asking the question of why this company would continue to advertise with cbs.The sponsors will ride out the storm, methinks.
Regards . . . Penny
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