Max Cleland's schedule on August 25 in Texas needs to be fully examined. Cleland tried to deliver a letter to President Bush around 1pm in Crawford, followed immediately by a short press conference. When did he leave Texas, where did he leave from, and what did he do in the time in between?
Only days prior to Cleland's impromptu visit to Texas, he began discussions with Bill Burkett, who is now known to be CBS's source for the forged documents.
Later the same day of Cleland's Texas trip, Burkett announced in a rant to President Bush on the progressive onlinejournal that, "I know from your files that we have now reassembled, the fact that you did not fulfill your oath, taken when you were commissioned to 'obey the orders of the officers appointed over you'."
What time was this rant posted? Did Cleland help him write it? Who is the "we" Burkett is referring to concerning the documents being "reassembled"? Did Cleland help Burkett forge the documents on that day?
Crawford, Texas, where Cleland was at 1pm on August 25, is only 162 miles from Baird, Bill Burkett's home.
Did Cleland make a visit there that day?
Did someone in the Kerry campaign act as a middleman in passing along the information to CBS that Burkett had these documents?
Did someone in the Kerry campaign lobby CBS to use these documents or vouch for their authenticity?
CBS claimed that these documents came from "unimpeachable sources." Other than Burkett, who are the other sources? Why did CBS consider Burkett "unimpeachable"?
CBS must answer the question of how they learned that Burkett now had these memos. Did the discovery of these new documents play a part in Ben Barnes decision that he was now ready to talk to 60 Minutes on air, after Mary Mapes had long been urging him to do so? Is there a connection between this sudden change of heart by Barnes just two days before CBS hit "paydirt" with these forged documents? Did Ben Barnes see these documents even before CBS did?