Posted on 09/20/2004 8:34:16 AM PDT by plushaye
CBS News planned Monday to issue a statement about documents purporting to show President Bush neglected some duties when he was in the National Guard more than 30 years ago.
The authenticity of the documents four memoranda attributed to one of Mr. Bush's Guard commanders, Lt. Col. Jerry Killian has been under fire since they were described in a Sept. 8 broadcast of 60 Minutes.
According to The Washington Post, the network plans to say it was misled about the authenticity of the documents.
The New York Times reports that CBS News officials met Sunday evening with anchor Dan Rather, the reporter of the contested story, to discuss the network's next steps.
CBS sources confirm that the network plans to issue a statement but would not comment on its content. Additional reporting on the documents dispute will air on Monday's CBS Evening News.
It was not clear if the network planned to apologize, the Post reported.
The Post and Times report that CBS' latest move comes after Rather met in Texas with Bill Burkett, a former Texas National Guard official who has been named as a possible source for the documents.
CBS has not revealed who provided the documents or how they were obtained.
Burkett has previously alleged that in 1997 he witnessed allies of then-Gov. Bush discussing the destruction of Guard files that might embarrass Mr. Bush, who was considering a run for the presidency.
Bush aides have denied the charge. Burkett has refused to comment on the controversy over the CBS memos story.
Questions about the president's National Guard service have lingered for years. Some critics question how Mr. Bush got into the Guard at a time when there were waiting lists of young men hoping to join it to escape the draft and possible service in Vietnam.
In the Sept. 8 60 Minutes report, former Texas Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes a Democrat claimed that, at the behest of a friend of the Bush family, he pulled strings to get young George W. Bush into the Guard.
Other questions concern why Mr. Bush missed a physical in 1972, and why there are scant records of service during the summer and fall of 1972, when he transferred to an Alabama guard unit so he could work on a campaign there.
The CBS documents suggested that Mr. Bush had disobeyed a direct order to attend the physical, and that there were other lapses in his performance. One memo also indicated that powerful allies of the Bush family were pressuring the guard to "sugar coat" any investigation of Lt. Bush's performance.
Skeptics immediately seized on the typing in the memos, which included a superscripted "th" not found on all 1970s-era typewriters. Some relatives of Col. Killian disputed that the memos were real. His former secretary said the sentiments regarding Mr. Bush were genuine, but the documents were not.
Some document experts whom CBS consulted for the story told newspapers they had raised doubts, and were ignored. CBS disputed their accounts. But the main document expert the network consulted insisted he had vouched only for the authenticity of the signatures on the memos, not whether the documents themselves were genuine.
CBS News stood by its reporting while vowing to continue working the story. Last week, the network acknowledged there were questions about the documents and pledged to try to answer them.
Mr. Bush maintains that he did not get special treatment in getting into the Guard, and that he fulfilled all duties. He was honorably discharged.
On Saturday, a White House official said Mr. Bush has reviewed the disputed documents that purport to show he refused orders to take a physical examination in 1972, and did not recall having seen them previously.
In his first public comment on the 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."
Instead of eye for CBS logo, how about a cat scatching around in a litter box after doing its business?
So, let me get this straight: CBS is reporting on what other media sources are reporting about them?
How about just telling us what the %^& is going on???? Is that so hard????
Just think what sort of story CBS would do on another company or politician that acted like CBS has in the last few weeks.
I have trouble with the veracity of this story, considering the source, CBS.
Let me get this straight--CBS News is using the Washington Post and the New York Times as a SOURCE ABOUT ITSELF!???? ROFLMPO!!!!!!! (Rolling on Floor Laughing my Pajamas off!)
How much you wanna bet they will still be saying - "but the crux of the matter is that there are still unanswered questions about the President's National Guard service. Mr. President, answer these questions."
Let's see ... the announcement will be made at noon, right?
"How much you wanna bet they will still be saying - "but the crux of the matter is that there are still unanswered questions about the President's National Guard service. Mr. President, answer these questions."
You're absolutely right. I think that's what this article, at least, is saying. Fits right into the NYT hit piece last night about 1972 and Lt Bush. CBS and NYT are in it together.
If CBS issues a memo regarding memogate, how do we know its real ?
There were SIX memos and CBS has admitted that in their longer missive to their affiliates (longer than the statement inssued to the general public).
They admit they chose to use only 4 of the 6. USA Today, who received the 6 memos independently, did post all 6 at their website.
CBS continues dealing with this in a deceitful manner---as they have every step of the way.
OH MY GOSH!!! They are PATHETIC over at CBS!!!!!
Are these people even grown-ups?
OH my GOSH! Toooooooooo funny!
They will hire BAGHDAD BOB to announce the memos were found to be true and HE will stake his reputation on that fact.
September 15, 2004
excerpt:
The 60 MINUTES Wednesday broadcast reported that it obtained six documents from the personal files of Lt. Col. Killian, four of which were used in the broadcast.
~snip~
What happened to the report that CBS was goingto air an interview with Burkett?
jw
The coverup begins. Keep your eye on the ball children, the real source was the DNC. The entire MSM and entire liberal world will circle the wagons to coverup that trail.
"They will hire BAGHDAD BOB to announce the memos were found to be true and HE will stake his reputation on that fact."
Their credibility would tank but their ratings would skyrocket. I can see it now. "CBS News Comedy Hour featuring Bagdad Bob".
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