Posted on 09/20/2004 3:57:31 PM PDT by RatherBiased.com
Edited on 09/20/2004 4:44:25 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
DAN RATHER: Now, news about CBS News, and the questions surrounding documents we aired on this broadcast and on the wednesday edition of "60 minutes" on September 8. The documents purported to show that George W. Bush received preferential treatment during his years in the national guard.
At the time, CBS news and this reporter fully believed the documents were genuine. Tonight, after further investigation, we can no longer say that. The documents were provided to CBS news by a former commander in the Texas National Guard, Bill Burkett. Burkett is well known in National Guard circles for a long battle over his medical benefits, and for trying, for several years now, to discredit President Bush's military service record.
Burkett initially told CBS news he got the documents from a fellow guardsman. But when we interviewed Burkett this past weekend, he changed his story, and told us he got the documents from a different source, one we cannot verify. Why did Burkett tell CBS news something he now says is not true? We put the question to him.
(from interview)
Why did you mislead us?
BILL BURKETT: Well, I didn't totally mislead you. I misled you on the one individual. You know, your staff pressured me to a point to reveal that source.
RATHER: Well, we were trying to get the chain of possession.
BURKETT: I understand that.
RATHER: And you said that you had received them from someone.
BURKETT: I understand that.
RATHER: We did pressure you to say, well, you received them from someone.
BURKETT: Yes.
RATHER: And it's true, we pressured you. It was a very important point for us.
BURKETT: Yes. And I simply threw out a name. That was basically, I guess, to take a little pressure off for a moment.
RATHER: Have you forged anything?
BURKETT: No, sir.
RATHER: He you faked anything?
BURKETT: No, sir.
RATHER: But you did mislead us.
BURKETT: Yes, I misled.
RATHER: You lied to us.
BURKETT: Yes, I did.
RATHER: Now, if you would misled us about that, which is critical, why would I or anyone believe that you wouldn't mislead us about something else?
BURKETT: I could understand that question. I can'T... that's going to have to be your judgment and anybody else's.
RATHER: Burkett still insists the documents are real, but now says he was in no position to verify them.
BURKETT: I also insisted when I sat down with your staff in the first face-to-face session, before I gave up any documents, I wanted to know what you were going to do with them, and I insisted that they be authenticated.
RATHER: The failure of CBS News to do just that, to properly scrutinize the documents and their source, led to errors in our reporting. CBS News deeply regrets it. Also I want to say personally and directly, I'm sorry. CBS News President Andrew Heyward has ordered an investigation to examine the process by which the report was prepared. It will be made public. This was an error made in good faith as we try to carry on the CBS News tradition of asking tough questions and investigating reports. But it was a mistake.
Now, some reaction to our revelations today. It comes from a spokesman for President Bush, Scott McClellan.
SCOTT McCLELLAN (White House Spokesman): Obviously there are still a number of questions that need to be answered, and we look forward to seeing the results of the investigations that other media organizations have undertaken, and that CBS says that they are now undertaking. We appreciate the fact that they have said they deeply regret it, but we still want to see those questions answered.
RATHER: And Scott McClellan repeated the the White House insistence that President Bush fulfilled his obligation to the National Guard and he was honorably discharged.
See reply 70 for an updated transcript .... Admin Moderator
Who IS Burkett and CBS protecting?
Good point. Is this a CYA on the part of Rather? Anyone who knows "the Dan" knows that he would RATHER see his beloved DNC up poop creek instead of himself sitting in front of a congressional committee.
Man, this thing gets more and more angles the more I think about it.
"I did not have sexual relations with that woman!"
"He always stuffs secret docs in his socks"
"I don't know how those FBI files ended up in my home library"
"I'm sorry for using forged documents"
"I've already released all of my military medical records that I have received"
"A person who lies can still be considered an honest person"
"I remember that Christmas eve when I was in Cambodia"
"I'm reporting for duty"
"The republicans don't allow black people to vote in Florida"
"I don't recall"
"Republicans will steal your social security"
"Republicans will steal your kids's milk in school"
And isn't it just like Chris "I'm too chicken to duel Zell Miller" to know just what to say in these troubled times???
Burkett initially told CBS news he got the documents from a fellow guardsman. But when we interviewed Burkett this past weekend, he changed his story, and told us he got the documents from a different source, one we cannot verify.So...they verified the first one?
They are liars. If they had verified the first one they woul dhave known that that source did not deliver the documents to Burkett...especially since he says he just pulled the name out of a hat.
If they did not verify the first one, then either they had not intention of verifying any of it, they knew it was false, or they are liars now...again.
This is so much Bravo Sierra and a smoke screen to cover where this story really goes which is...who really doctored these documents and got them to CBS.
I was writing while you were posting #12, so I didn't see it. I agree, this is a significant point. Mentioning that CBS went to Burkett instead of the other way around is part of the damage/spin control, but how? Wouldn't have been included otherwise. If it's not - if it's actually an effort to be truthful, for once - then in the context of the rest of the report, it proves that Dan went to a known crackpot for no reason other than to smear the President.
It's obvious he knew about this ahead of time, because the Kerry campaign designed the "fortunate son" advertizing blitz around it.
So did Dan tell Kerry about this? Or did Kerry tell Dan?
....Why didn't CBS check with that person to verify that he passed the memos to Burkett?....
That is an important part of the equation..if they didn't why not if they did what did he/her say? All we know is initially Burkett claimed he got them from a fellow guardsman..WHEN did he get them and why haven't they surfaced till now?
Let's analyze this for a second. If Burkett gave them a name then CBS would obviously have contacted that person for more information on the document's origins.
If Person X backed up Burkett then we have a larger conspiracy of people involved in the forgery. However then CBS would have to out that source as well. They haven't. This means they could be protecting him or her.
A second possibility is that Person X did not back up Burkett's story in which case CBS is guilty of fraud.
Possibility three. Person X refused to talk with CBS, in which case CBS is guilty of incredible negligence AND will still have to release the name of Person X in order to find out why he or she did not even attempt to dissuade CBS from running a false story.
Possibility 4: Person X is dead and has been dead for a few years. CBS could not interview him or her and had to accept Burkett's version of events. This is what I think happened. Burkett offered up a name of a dead man and CBS accepted it without question.
Yikes! We'll have to fix it, it was a rush transcript.
Yep, there is something going on here. This is the first thread I have read this afternoon, so I am glad that great minds think alike!!!
He failed to apologize to bloggers
This might all be a collosal waste of brain power - trying to figure out the motivations of these two documented LIARS.
You're right...John Kerry reporting for duty and all of that BS...no wonder the DNC convention was so stinkin' hawkish...things are starting to come together here.
BILL BURKETT: Well, I didn't totally mislead you. I misled you on the one individual.
RATHER: Burkett still insists the documents are real , but now says he was in no position to verify them.
BURKETT: I also insisted when I sat down with your staff in the first face-to-face session, before I gave up any documents, I wanted to know what you were going to do with them, and I insisted that they be authenticated.
Did he even ask him where the documents came from? Did he ask him who has the originals. What a bunch of hogwash. Maybe Dan thinks the apology and the confession about being duped is enough. but it isnt. kudos to the white house for keeping on the pressure.
I do however see a disturbing trend. The MSM is beginning to really focus on Kerry. In today's LA TIMES, there were two stories about Kerry, one story about CBS, and zilch about Bush, other than what was inserted into the regular negative Iraq stories. The MSM is still propping up Kerry.
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