I think his/her point was that if the Rathergate story had gone unchallenged (that we simply accepted CBS's version of the "facts") that it was possible Bush could have lost the election. The election was very close and no one knows what might have happened had the story been left unchallenged.
In the case of this story there were a number of claims made by the women about her abduction that simply didn't make sense. That doesn't mean it wasn't true (at the time) but it sure should give rise to healthy speculation that it was all lies.
Thanks for your posts. You said it better than me. There are a few here on FR who seem incapable of acknowledging any mistakes on their part. The truth is this girl scammed everyone, and a few people here felt that scam early on, and were boorishly criticized for suggesting that her abduction may be a fraud.