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Rather on Letterman: 'Nobody Broke the Law, Nobody Lied'
Ratherbiased / Powerline ^ | 3/4/04

Posted on 03/04/2005 7:47:11 AM PST by Valin

LETTERMAN: ...Now, the credibility, the v[e]racity of documents do comes into question and then what happens?

RATHER: Well, a panel was appointed by CBS News to...

LETTERMAN: An independent panel?

RATHER: An independent panel.

LETTERMAN: Is this a big thing for a network news organization to have endured?

RATHER: I think the answer to that is yes, yes. Richard Thornburgh, former attorney general who was in the Nixon administration, says the bushes are good friends of his, both president one and two [B]ush. He headed the panel. They took the better part of four months, spent several million dollars, some people say as much as $5 million, and came out with a report which I've read, thought about, absorbed it, take it seriously and move on and carry it with me in my work. Among the things, they concluded a lot of things, many of them not compl[i]mentary about my work. They concluded that whatever happened and whatever you thought about it, it was not motivated by political bias and they said that, although they had four months and millions of dollars, they could not demonstrate the documents were not authentic, that they were forgeries. They said they couldn't make that conclusion. They also encouraged CBS News to rededicate itself to aggressive investigative reporting when warranted and not let this discourage them from doing so. That's a summary, a short summary. This panel report is big enough, you know, if you want to read it, it's I don't know, big enough to make a door stop.

LETTERMAN: I need a door stop.

(Laughter) so let me go back to two points. They said, one, it was not motivated by political bias?

RATHER: That's right.

LETTERMAN: So CBS News and yourself and others cleared of that, and that seemed to be a great point of criticism, did it not, that there was political bias here, that...

RATHER: People had their own political motivations and agendas, and some people who didn't have that, who were asking the question. That's one reason the panel was appointed. That was one of their conclusions.

LETTERMAN: That charge has been erased by the fact-finding committee?

[RATHER]: That was their conclusion.

LETTERMAN: Did not exist. That evaporated. Secondly, they could not prove the documents were false. They could not prove they were true and accurate, but they also could not prove they were false

RATHER: That's correct.

LETTERMAN: That's a push right there.

RATHER: Some people would not regard it, but you've summarized it correctly. They had a lot of other findings. Those were among the findings.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: danrather; memogate; msm; rathergate
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To: Malesherbes

I agree....See BS is all about the blather of Rather....
The old hand in cookie job..gets 'em every time...
and President Bush is still our fearsome leader...
Hey Dan...go join Krankrite and get lost...Jake


61 posted on 03/04/2005 9:42:02 AM PST by sanjacjake
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To: nutmeg
I used to be a regular viewer of Letterman... he sucks up to everyone also employed by CBS and every liberal guest (especially Hillary).

I agree with you, but I continue to watch him. He takes some good jabs at libs from time to time as well, and well, he's just Dave. Since his live-in gave birth to his son, he has mellowed considerably. I think I even see tiny signs of him not leaning quite so far to the left lately. Besides, he's (usually) just plain funny!

62 posted on 03/04/2005 10:01:08 AM PST by TChris (Most people's capability for inference is severely overestimated)
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To: TChris

"Secondly, they could not prove the documents were false"



Let’s see, they have never been able to prove the Pope did not have Jimmy Hoffa Killed.

No one has ever proved that Dan Rather was not connected with the Manson family murders.

CBS's high journalistic standards
CBS Nightly News bringing you news stories that have not yet been conclusively proven to be false.


Our sources at CBS refused to comment on whether Dan Rather had become a heroin addict after his failed sex change operation left him resembling Ken of Ken and Barbie fame. Insiders report that this was the possible origin of the question "What's the frequency Kenneth"


63 posted on 03/04/2005 10:19:06 AM PST by CameronNB
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To: TChris
Oh I admit that I still watch him, but not as regularly as I used to. My husband and I have been in his studio audience at the Ed Sullivan Theatre three times over the years, and I have to admit it is LOTS of fun (it's true about the theatre being very COLD!). They film the show as if it was "live" at 5:30-6:30pm, hours before it airs at 11:30pm ET. Conan does the same, and I assume Leno does also (haven't been to his show).

I check who the guests are on Letterman, Leno and Conan and only watch if I'm interested.

64 posted on 03/04/2005 10:38:00 AM PST by nutmeg (democRATs = The Party of NO)
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To: Howlin
RATHER: People had their own political motivations and agendas

Blather told the truth about his sorry *ss motivation.... inadvertently!

Rather last night looked like Nixon without the pan makeup.

65 posted on 03/04/2005 11:42:06 AM PST by beyond the sea (Barbara Boxer is Barbra Streisand on peyote .....)
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To: Coop; Howlin; Miss Marple
What was incredibly damning, in my view, was Ratherbiased said if they "had more time"

.......... more than five years?

66 posted on 03/04/2005 11:44:59 AM PST by beyond the sea (Barbara Boxer is Barbra Streisand on peyote .....)
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To: Howlin

I watched the interview and I think Letterman was very "warm" on Dan...but basically gave him several slaps upside the head. For common sense...Letterman is at the head of the class, and knows that Dan is an absolute fool, but a high-up in the CBS food-chain. He gave him his moment of glory...and that was it. We won't see Dan on Letterman again...and I doubt that Dan gets invited out to do any shows in the future. The guy is a pure fool.


67 posted on 03/04/2005 11:45:24 AM PST by pepsionice
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To: OldSgt.
Blatherman & Letterman

Blatherman and Loserman?

68 posted on 03/04/2005 11:47:13 AM PST by beyond the sea (Barbara Boxer is Barbra Streisand on peyote .....)
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To: NYCRebublican
Did Mr. Rather ever get an education? How did he get so far in this business?

How? Blather was one of the first reporters to feed the lie to the American public from Dallas about JFK's killing. That's how. Gee, look how long 'Single Bullet Arlen Sphinter' has lasted.

69 posted on 03/04/2005 11:51:03 AM PST by beyond the sea (Barbara Boxer is Barbra Streisand on peyote .....)
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To: TomGuy
That is because the ones Dan had were photocopies of faxes of photocopies.

That's perhaps because his daughter, Robin in Texas, and Burkett are still working on some others.

;-)

70 posted on 03/04/2005 11:56:17 AM PST by beyond the sea (Barbara Boxer is Barbra Streisand on peyote .....)
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To: Howlin
Hey, look at what nice Freeper just sent me:

http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2004/11/24/415562.html---

and Dan still looks like he's in need of a FLEET enema in that international report.

71 posted on 03/04/2005 11:59:09 AM PST by beyond the sea (Barbara Boxer is Barbra Streisand on peyote .....)
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To: rcocean
But I tell you, the documents were not forgeries

LOL!

.....But the authenticity of the statement and photo could not be verified, and Liam Cusack, of the toy manufacturer Dragon Models USA, Inc., said the image of the soldier portrayed in the photo bore a striking resemblance to the African-American version of its "Cody" military action figure. "It is our doll ... to me it definitely looks like it is," Cusack said. "Everything the guy is wearing is exactly what comes with our figure."

LOL!

72 posted on 03/04/2005 12:06:44 PM PST by beyond the sea (Barbara Boxer is Barbra Streisand on peyote .....)
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To: Malesherbes
and that includes Letterman.

Letterman acted as a whore. You're right.

73 posted on 03/04/2005 12:09:03 PM PST by beyond the sea (Barbara Boxer is Barbra Streisand on peyote .....)
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To: Valin

Captain Dan - you all broke the law, at least morally, and you all lied.

Just go away - we can only watch a train wreck for so long.


74 posted on 03/04/2005 12:12:07 PM PST by Let's Roll ("Congressmen who ... undermine the military ... should be arrested, exiled or hanged" - A. Lincoln)
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To: Valin
Saw it last night and if Rather was not doing a Ted Baxter impression..
Then he really IS the source of the Ted Baxter character..(Mary Tyler Moore)

Prosecuting this guy would be mean, hes dumb a post..

75 posted on 03/04/2005 12:45:39 PM PST by hosepipe (This Propaganda has been edited to include not a small amount of Hyperbole..)
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To: Sloth

how would history have been different if CBS had chosen Roger Mudd rather than Rather to succeed Cronkite?


76 posted on 03/04/2005 1:00:21 PM PST by gusopol3
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To: Valin
Courage....in your retirement, Danno.....Courage....


77 posted on 03/04/2005 1:06:12 PM PST by add925 (The Left = Xenophobes in Denial)
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To: beyond the sea

78 posted on 03/04/2005 1:10:43 PM PST by add925 (The Left = Xenophobes in Denial)
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To: Valin
What is not spoken is that the FCC should have done this investigation but Allowed cBS to do it themselves.. The FCC has a 300 million dollar budget(2004) but the RINO Colin Powells son was in charge of the FCC.. could be why? no investigation.. But the MSM has been a left wing propaganda outlet for many years.. Where to start and where to end..

Here at cBS would have been an excellent place to start.. only thing, fire the sissys at the FCC... What do they use 300 million as a budget FOR anyways.? In three years they eat up a billion dollars, for WHAT.? What do they do that requires a budget that large.?. They seem to be useless.. Odds are that most all FCC employees are democrats.. or RINOs.. same thing.. .

79 posted on 03/04/2005 1:45:36 PM PST by hosepipe (This Propaganda has been edited to include not a small amount of Hyperbole..)
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To: Howlin
Hey, look at what nice Freeper just sent me:

http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2004/11/24/415562.html

We've gone international!!!

ROFL!! Cool!!

80 posted on 03/04/2005 2:35:54 PM PST by BigSkyFreeper (You have a //coo-coo// God given right //Dean Scream// to be an //Hello?// atheist)
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