Here is my straw man for you to pick apart.
(1) Mary Mapes prepares the forged documents – Her own father said that she became a “journalist” because she had an axe to grind.
(2) Mapes either plants the documents for Bill Burkett to find or conspires with him.
(3) Burkett faxes the documents to CBS News (maybe just back to Mapes).
(4) Mapes prepares the story for the liberal talking head Ted Baxter ---- oops, I mean Dan Rather, knowing that he will fall for it.
(5) Mapes calls Lockhart to tell him that Burkett has “dynamite” evidence on Bush.
(6) Lockhart calls Burkett to get the details.
(7) Kerry campaign prepares “Fortunate Son” campaign.
(8) Rather goes on air with the story.
(9) Kerry campaign immediately follows with “Fortunate Son.”
CBS is stonewalling on the original source of the forged documents because they now knows it is actually CBS (Mapes).
Lets not forget Carl Cameron reporting that Kerry was telling the press on the trail that they all should pay close attention to the news coming out (referring to 60 min).
Hmmmmmmmmm
Your event sequence is interesting.
Rush disclosed that the Carey campaign was using the Aug '72 date from the bogus documents in print in April of this year, which means they had them then. To yours or any one's knowledge, can this jive with your sequence? Or, is it possible the Carey campaign is the source?