Posted on 09/28/2004 9:55:48 PM PDT by Congressman Billybob
September 28, 2004 20:41:03 EDT
Daniel Irvin Rather must be a masochist. You'd think that in the midst of the terrible publicity he is currently getting for working closely with a partisan Democrat bent on bringing down President Bush that Dan Rather would have the good sense to lay off the liberal bias for a while. But common sense seems to be in short supply at CBS News these days.
Three weeks after he denounced the internet as being "filled with rumors," the embattled CBS anchor ran a story on his Tuesday "Evening News" program hoping to stir up fear of an impending military draft.
In a story that was a textbook example of slipshod reporting, CBS reporter Richard Schlesinger used debunked internet hoax emails and an unlabeled interest group member to scare elderly "Evening" viewers into believing that the U.S. government is poised to resume the draft.
At the center of Schlesinger's piece was a woman named Beverly Cocco, a Philadelphia woman who is "sick to my stomach" that her two sons might be drafted. In his report, Schlesinger claimed that Cocco was a Republican and portrayed her as an apolitical (even Republican) mom worried about the future.
Schlesinger did not disclose that Cocco is a chapter president of an advocacy group called People Against the Draft (PAD) which, in addition to opposing any federal conscriptions, seeks to establish a "peaceful, rational foreign policy" by bringing all U.S. troops out of Iraq. Like Schlesinger's Cocco, the group portrays itself as "nonpartisan"although its leadership seems to be entirely bereft of any Republicans.
The group's domain is registered to a man named Jacob Levich, a left-wing activist who in a 2001 essay compared the Bush Administration to the totalitarian government portrayed in George Orwell's 1984.
PAD also lists Anita Dutt, a Green Party activist who is also a member of an anti-war group called Bronx Action for Justice and Peace. In a March 3, 2003 New York Times profile of the group reprinted on the organization's web site, Heidi Hynes, one of its leaders, said of her fellow members that "none of us are Republicans."
Also left out of the CBS story was the fact that while there are two bills in Congress that are seeking to reestablish the draft, both of them (S-89 and HR-163) are sponsored exclusively by Democrats and have been pronounced DOA by the Republican leadership.
Much more on this to come but in the mean time, click read more to see the transcript or watch the clip by clicking on the picture to the right.
DAN RATHER: It's no secret: The all- volunteer U.S. Military, especially the Army, Marines and many reserve units, are stretched thin in Iraq and Afghanistan. So what about bringing back the draft? A lot of Americans are worried about that. Where do the presidential candidates stand? CBS's Richard Schlesinger tells you in the "Eye on America" election series, "What does it mean to you?"
SCHLESINGER: Beverly Cocco has spent most of her life protecting children in Philadelphia.
(Footage of Cocco in job as crossing guard)
SCHLESINGER: She usually worries about other people's kids.
(Footage of Cocco in job as crossing guard)
SCHLESINGER: But as Election Day approaches, it's her own two grown sons who Beverly is most worried about.
BEVERLY COCCO ("Pennsylvania Voter"): I go to bed every night and I pray, and I actually get sick to my stomach. I'm very worried. I'm scared. I'm absolutely scared. I'm petrified.
SCHLESINGER: Beverly is petrified about a military draft, and she's not alone. Mass e-mails are circulating among worried parents. But neither president bush nor john kerry has said he will re- institute the draft. In fact, they both say they will not.
Sen. JOHN KERRY (Democratic presidential candidate): I will give us a foreign policy that absolutely makes it unnecessary to have a draft for this country.
SCHLESINGER: Kerry says he'll try to get allies of the U.S. to send troops that could relieve American soldiers in Iraq. The Bush Administration says that is pure fantasy. The president wants to train more Iraqi troops to take over for the Americans.
Pres. GEORGE W. BUSH: The war on terror will continue. It's going to take a while and no, we don't need a draft.
SCHLESINGER (voiceover): But Beverly's not buying it. She's a Republican, but she's also a single issue voter.
(on-camera) Would you vote for a Democrat?
COCCO: Absolutely. I would vote for Howdie Doody if I thought it would keep my boys home and safe.
SCHLESINGER (voiceover): In fact, there are at least three votes in this house riding on the draft: Beverly's and her sons,' Carmen [sic] and Nick.
(on-camera) Are you guys worried about being drafted?
NICK COCCO (College senior): Yeah. It's the talk. The talk's there. Though people aren't actually coming out and saying it, it's, it's there.
SCHLESINGER: The machinery for a draft is already in place and the acting director of Selective Service believes he could start drafting people quickly.
JACK MARTIN (Selective Service System): I think we could do it in less than six months if we got the call.
SCHLESINGER: This time there would be no long deferments for college students and a lot more people could be eligible for the draft than ever before. Men and women aged 18 to 26 could be called up.
Of course, there hasn't been a draft since 1973. But that's not much comfort to Beverly Cocco. So she is keeping a sharp eye on the political traffic. She's a Bush supporter today, but if she doesn't like what she hears between now and November, Beverly could easily cross over. In Philadelphia, I'm Richard Schlesinger for Eye on America.
Answer: Because they are useful idiots, and conspirazoids.
Hummm, I didn't know Chelsea Clinton was running ....
"Danny Boy you haven't learned your lesson. It's time whip up on you again."
Yeah, it's time for another 50 gallon can of @ss whup.
nick
I wrote a letter to Fox News asking them how could they and Kerry get away with such a false ad and gave them Bush's quotes on saying he doesn't support a draft and provided them with summaries and links to the detailed text of the 2 bills "drafted" and sponsored 100% by Democrats that you mentioned above.
I haven't seen the ad since. I saw where a few other freepers also saw the ad, but it sure disappeared fast. Now Rather is running with that lie too. LOL, he's determined to ruin his reputation, isn't he? Fox News should also be made to answer for running that Kerry ad and Jim Lehrer better ask them both about it tomorrow night.
DANG, Fester! She even looks hot in severe black-and-white.
And, he's up for re-election.
(Unfortunately, his lefty Seattle constituents will probably elect him again - in a landslide.)
bump
This will "resonate"... across the blogosphere and on all the Radio talk shows and internet, then to Fox, in the next day or two. By insisting on perpetrating fraud after fraud, CBS has committed deliberate and willful Sepuku. I guess they could not stand themselves. The MSM is dying "Rather" quickly, don't you think?
They aren't saying anything but the talk is there.
Public School Scholar.
Drudge has picked it up, also.
The Drudge link is to "Littlegreenfootballs.com"
I cannot manage to link to the story though. I guess the site is being inundated now. At least I hope.
Rather's boss ought to bash Dan's head against the wall until he grow tired of the wet, squishy sound.
Nice shot, my friend.
Billybob
Glad I could make your day, pal. Say hi to the missus.
The left has been ramping up the "Draft" BS again in the past 2 weeks (organized campaigns with fliers, emailings, posting to apolitical forums, etc.). This comes from the Kerry Campaign.
I was watching MTV and seeing them interrupt programming to scare kids into voting. Every 5 minutes it seemed there was something to "remind" them to vote.
I told him that those kids are going to have regrets when they realize that they were being lied to by the Democrats.
The anarchists don't care if Kerry brings this nation down. That is what they need to overthrow the government. A means to an end.
Just a theory to get "Joe Six Pack" mad.
How about our Unions who want job protection? With Kerry's National Service he will flood the job market with cheap labor doing "community service." Just a theory, would that effect the job market and bring down union wages. Kerry mentions he wants to place young people in the fire, police, health services and educational departments.
On the other hand:
I showed my co-worker my printed HR163 abd S89. I showed her the provision in Section 2, b 1 and 2. First thing she said, "Who will do community service desk jobs? The rich and famous? Our children will be stuck with the military getting shot at! This is not fair at all. Our tax dollars will go up! Who wants to pay for politicans pet social programs?" She was not too happy.
Everyone should print out "Universal National Service" and show it to your friends and love ones. They need to know.
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