Posted on 01/01/2005 8:59:39 AM PST by Libloather
Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick
Thu Dec 30, 7:00 PM ET
Ibd
It 's been nearly 3 1/2 months since former U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh and retired Associated Press chief executive Louis D. Boccardi were named to an independent panel to investigate the "60 Minutes" story that used forged documents to allege Bush shirked his duties when in the Texas Air National Guard in the 1960s and 1970s.
The panel was named Sept. 22, 14 days after the story aired and two days after Rather finally stopped denying that the documents were bogus and admitted the story was a mistake. The probe was supposed to get at how the story came to be.
In most newsrooms, that would take about 14 minutes, not 14 weeks, and those involved would by now have found new employment in the food-service or hospitality industry.
This screw-up, however, must be really complicated. Indeed, Mary Mapes, the story's producer, reportedly delivered a "60-plus-page defense" of the piece to investigators -- as if that's a lot to pore over.
Or is it that CBS thinks last month's announcement that Rather would be stepping down as anchor of CBS Evening News has effectively taken Memogate off the public radar screen?
If so, it should think again. Yes, we realize that holding people responsible for their actions -- think Sandy Berger or George Tenet -- was passe in '04. But CBS' transgressions date back much further than one story or one year.
As we've often said, and as one of its own, Bernard Goldberg, has damningly laid out in two books, CBS' problem is deep-seated political bias. Any investigation that doesn't address that problem will be dismissed -- at least in this newsroom -- as no investigation at all.
Rather Dan - the biggest dope in 2004, continuing into 2005! WAY TO GO DAN!
The last statement I heard him utter was that the authenticity of the documents could not be proven. I don't recall him ever admitting the documents were fakes.
dan rather's been doing dan rather for decades and getting by with it.
no, the network did not fire him. why?
because that would make it look like he was responsibile and the network at fault.
in order to avoid that perception, he'll retire later this year.
perception is reality.
That's exactly right. He has never admitted anything! cBS thinks we're going to forget about it.
They are wrong.
Amazing that in a building full of newpersons, not one tiny detail of this investigative report has yet to be leaked?
BTTT
it's called "solidarity".
whether on the university campus, in hollywood, or inside abcbscnnnbc, everyone knows who everyone is.
no one outside this clique are hired. when someone sees the light, they're booted out.
The hell with CBS's investigation I want an arrest by the DOJ
Independant panel is a joke. Want to get the truth out in less than 60 minutes? All Powell has to do is say on the Friday before the NFL playoffs that all of CBS programing is completely off the air until Viacom produces an honest and truthful report on the incident that satifys the FCC. CBS would have the report out faster than crap through a goose!
Mary mapes 60 plus page letter explaining herself in a righteous context is one hell of a lot of 'splainin. By nature of circumstance, a 60 page defense of one's actions is a confession. That's why we have a fifth amendment right in the courtroom. Some day that 60 page mess may come home to haunt her. It may migrate from the confines of an employer/employee relationship into a criminal matter and there is not a damn thing she can do to prevent it.
One of two things is happening. Thornburgh is using that Utah professor as a technical adviser. And CBS is aping government bureaucracy that they adore, with a case of the slows.
Thornburgh/Boccardi know better. And the lawyers for DanCo. learned from the Viet Cong how to sow fear
in the populace.
Not that I watch SNL, but they should start a "Week XX, and still no report on Blather's Blunder..."
NFL playoff's......
Innauguration complicated with protesters and violence.......
Recounts on everything including wether schoolkids went number one or number two.........
Complete meltdown on Iraqi elections....
Superbowl mixed with rumors of terrorism.
A vice presidential heart attack on Valentines day. The following month long expose' on Viagra and it's dangers will fill the nuwz until Rather departs and the no-need to discuss any report......
And the assasination of Punxatawney Phil by a sharpshooter on February 2nd.
Let the countdown begin.
It is a non issue for CBS, they are off the front page. Expect nothing to happen.
If CBS New had a story about Republicans faking Memos to trash Democrats, they would have a full blown investigation, complete with story in a matter of days. Here, all they have to go down the hall and interview their own employees. They could at least give us something.
They will definitely release this investigation before Dan leaves. The last thing they want to do is remind him that he ever existed after he's gone.
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