Rathergate: The Footnotes(had doubts)

NYMETRO ^ | 10/10/05 | Intelligencer

[Pikamax]

Intelligencer Rathergate: The Footnotes Threatened to take memos to the Times; later admits he had his doubts all along.

(Photo credit: Dennis Van Tine/LFI)

Dan Rather’s future on CBS News certainly looks less than assured, just as the updated paperback edition of David Blum’s 60 Minutes tell-all, Tick . . . Tick . . . Tick . . . , hits stores this week. Among Blum’s new revelations: The night before last fall’s controversial National Guard piece aired, Rather called 60 Minutes Wednesday executive producer Josh Howard from the anchor desk to find out why he wasn’t running promos for the story. When Howard told him he couldn’t promote it—CBS News president Andrew Heyward hadn’t seen it yet, nor had the lawyers, and they hadn’t even contacted the White House for comment—Rather threatened to take the story to the Times that night. (Rather later backed down.)

The anchor was feeling a good deal less of a cowboy after the story blew up in his face. According to the book, on the night before his on-air apology, Rather confessed to Howard that he’d had doubts about the veracity of the memos all along. “I knew when I did the [document consultant Marcel] Matley interview that something wasn’t right with all this,” Rather confessed to Howard, belying his stalwart public position. A CBS News spokesperson, Sandy Genelius, said, “I have no way of verifying this, these were private conversations,” before noting that they weren’t in the 224-page report of the CBS investigation. Rather was overseas and unavailable to comment.

[ScreamingFist]

Juicy tidbit.......

[camle]

rather "unavailable for comment" is a good thing

[martin_fierro]

Rather was overseas and unavailable to comment.

Lining up that Al Jazeera gig, no doubt.

[dangus]

Wow. If true, that's pretty damning. Rather thought the story might be fake, but when the CBS heads expressed queaziness, he threatened to take his story to the New York Times first, so they caved.


"But Maaaaaa, Danny made me do it!"

[msnimje]

Rather threatened to take the story to the Times that night. (Rather later backed down.)

COURAGE!

[Red Badger]

I still think Daddy's little girl, Robin, had a mitten on this hot potato..............

[norwaypinesavage]

So not only is Rather an unprincipled left wing zealot, he's a lying, unprincipled left wing zealot.

[Paleo Conservative]

When Howard told him he couldn’t promote it—CBS News president Andrew Heyward hadn’t seen it yet, nor had the lawyers, and they hadn’t even contacted the White House for comment—Rather threatened to take the story to the Times that night. (Rather later backed down.)

I wish he had.

[OldFriend]

LIAR

[Kozak]

So not only is Rather an unprincipled left wing zealot, he's a lying, unprincipled left wing zealot.

That's stupid, arrogant, lying, unprincipled, left wing zealot.

[billhilly]

"So not only is Rather an unprincipled left wing zealot, he's a lying, unprincipled left wing zealot."

Redundant...

[zeugma]

"So not only is Rather an unprincipled left wing zealot, he's a lying, unprincipled left wing zealot."

Redundant...

On several different levels

[Charles Henrickson]

KERNAGE!

[norwaypinesavage]

We could go on with the adjectives adinfinititum. However there's one other adjective that FR can claim to have helped add that's out of place with the other adjectives - He's toast.

[baystaterebel]

Once again proves Rathers motivation was not the truth but rather the timing of the article. He couldn't afford to wait until the memos were vetted. He needed to slander the President ASAP.

[PJ-Comix]

According to the book, on the night before his on-air apology, Rather confessed to Howard that he’d had doubts about the veracity of the memos all along. “I knew when I did the [document consultant Marcel] Matley interview that something wasn’t right with all this,” Rather confessed to Howard, belying his stalwart public position.

Don't worry, Dan. Mary Mapes still BEEEEELEEEEEEVES!!!

[PhilDragoo]

[potlatch]