Posted on 09/22/2004 3:11:11 AM PDT by Liz
As we asked yesterday: What did Dan Rather know?
And when did he know it?
And that was even before it was disclosed that CBS News' dubious source for those phony National Guard memos insisted on being put in touch directly with John Kerry's campaign — apparently as a condition for turning over the documents.
As USA Today reported in detail yesterday, CBS producer Mary Mapes arranged for Bill Burkett (who provided the forged documents) to speak with Joe Lockhart, the former Clinton press secretary who's now a top Kerry campaign adviser.
CBS claims hooking Burkett up with Lockhart "was not part of any deal" to get the memos, which producer Mapes had spent five fruitless years in search of.
Burkett, however, insists that the contact was indeed part of an "understanding" — without which he would not turn over the documents.
At this point, neither Burkett nor the network have much standing in the credibility department.
But even taking the network's claim at face value undercuts Rather's claim that using the documents — which he now says he regrets — was "an error that was made . . . in good faith."
Not to mention his insistence that this story was part of the "CBS News tradition of investigate reporting without fear or favoritism."
Simple common sense would have mandated that — faced with a demand by their source to involve the Kerry campaign — Rather and Mapes say flatly, "No way."
But they were so eager to get their hands on what they believed were explosive memos — supposedly proving once and for all that George W. Bush received special treatment in getting into the Air National Guard and then avoiding his full service obligation — that they agreed to anything Burkett wanted.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
How did he manage that?
And while Lockhart insists that the documents were never mentioned in their conversation, he conceded "it's possible" Mapes just happened to mention the memos when she asked him to give Burkett a call.
Yesterday, he explained it this way: Mapes asked Lockhart to speak to "a guy who is being helpful on this story," adding that she just happened to mention that "there are some records that might move the story forward" without telling him what they said.
Maybe CBS isn't the only one with a credibility problem.
If we could just start the CBS investigations from the lying Clintons 60 Minutes appearance, on down.
Right........ and Clinton didn't give away nuclear secrets to China, and Michael Moore is not fat.
Start from "The Wall Within". That was an evil disgrace by Rather and CBS.
ASA -- '69- '71.
This is kerrite biggie number 3 to be put in contact with burkett by c-BS and RATher. Rathergate is bigger than Watergate.
Just ask John Carlson of 570KVI radio in Settle. He worked with her and had a story on air today about HOW SHE HAS DONE THIS BEFORE! (But I wouldn't expect the mass media to actually be able to root this source out for themselves...)
Poor ole Mary - only a few months removed from a career-defining highlight - the ALLEGED abuse of prisoners by American soldiers in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison - and unearthed the photos that gave the story its visceral impact. How do we know that those pictures weren't STAGED? I thought they looked to artsy not to be staged.
We know the C-BS memos were fake. We know members of the Kerry campaign were involved with Bill Burkett.
We know John Kerry re-enacted battles with his 8 milimeter camera while he was in Vietnam.
We know that there ARE people in this world who for political gain or money would discredit themselves, their President, and their country.
The MSM is now running scared that they will be sucked into this mess. They know they have bloody hands as well helping the Democrats and they are all in overdrive trying to see who can be tougher on CBS.
It won't last though. The only way to clean this up would be for the Washington Post, LA Times, Newsweek, Time, CNN, NYT, etc would be for them to fire 50% of the hard core liberals on their staff and start fresh.
It wouldn't surprise me to read CBS hired Michael Moore to stage those photos.
What next, Mapes appearing on 60 MIN with panties over her head, accusing Rather of torture!
The leftist media wants to keep the spotlight on CBS so it doesn't shine any light on their own agenda driven news coverage.
I have a strong suspicion that whoever is behind the forgeries, is also the "unnamed sources" for most of the garbage in Kitty K's book.
It is time and past time for America to face up to the fact that the assumption that CBS, or anyone else for that matter, is wise and virtuous enough to " report without fear or favor" amounts to a "title of nobility" prohibited under the Constitution.Why Broadcast Journalism isYou and I listen to people because they vindicate your trust, not because the government says that they are "broadcasting in the public interest as a public trustee." But it is all too plain that at any given time there are all too many Americans who can be gulled by Public Relations swindles such as Dan Rather's posturing.
Unnecessary and IllegitimateCBS has Swift Boat Veterans for Truth lined up around the block waiting to give firsthand testimony about John Kerry's behavior in Vietnam, and about the effect of his subsequent behavior on the troops then still there after he left. But Dan Rather would rather climb a tree to tell a lie about George W. Bush than he would to stand on the ground and tell the truth about John F. Kerry. "Without fear or favor?" Sure, I believe that!
We know John Kerry re-enacted battles with his 8 milimeter camera while he was in Vietnam.
We know that there ARE people in this world who for political gain or money would discredit themselves, their President, and their country.
Don't we also know that Cameron Kerry and Tom Vallely got caught in a political office burglary years back?
I'd put it, "...destroying a competitor."
Media bias bump.
I'd put it, "...destroying a competitor."
Right, check out his 1988 "The Wall Within". Rather has been lying for decades, and helping to destroy the images of our good soldiers for those same decades.
Could you make that around 75%?
;-)
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