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Rather's Lawsuit Shows Role of G.O.P. in Inquiry
New York Times ^ | 11/16/08 | Jacques Steinberg

Posted on 11/16/2008 7:46:40 PM PST by steve-b

When Dan Rather filed suit against CBS 14 months ago -- claiming, among other things, that his former employer had commissioned a politically biased investigation into his work on a "60 Minutes" segment about President Bush's National Guard service -- the network predicted the quick and favorable dismissal of the case, which it derided as "old news."

So far, Mr. Rather has spent more than $2 million of his own money on the suit. And according to documents filed recently in court, he may be getting something for his money.

Using tools unavailable to him as a reporter — including the power of subpoena and the threat of punishment against witnesses who lie under oath — he has unearthed evidence that would seem to support his assertion that CBS intended its investigation, at least in part, to quell Republican criticism of the network.

Among the materials that money has shaken free for Mr. Rather are internal CBS memorandums turned over to his lawyers, showing that network executives used Republican operatives to vet the names of potential members of a panel that had been billed as independent and charged with investigating the "60 Minutes" segment....

Another memorandum turned over to Mr. Rather's lawyers by CBS was a long typed list of conservative commentators apparently receiving some preliminary consideration as panel members, including Rush Limbaugh, Matt Drudge, Ann Coulter and Pat Buchanan. At the bottom of that list, someone had scribbled "Roger Ailes," the founder of Fox News....

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 60minutes; anncoulter; buchanan; buckhead; cbs; cbsnews; coulter; danrather; drudge; fonts; forgeries; limbaugh; mattdrudge; memogate; patbuchanen; rather; rathergate; rushlimbaugh; secretprisons; tang
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That would make for an entertaining panel....
1 posted on 11/16/2008 7:46:40 PM PST by steve-b
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To: steve-b

I just hope Rather continues to pour his own money into this bottomless pit


2 posted on 11/16/2008 7:48:11 PM PST by bigbob
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To: steve-b

Yet no mention that the “document” was a fabricated fraud that he peddled as being true...


3 posted on 11/16/2008 7:48:37 PM PST by DB
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To: steve-b
When Dan Rather filed suit against CBS 14 months ago -- claiming, among other things, that his former employer had commissioned a politically biased investigation into his work on a "60 Minutes" segment....

Biased per Dan Rather = 4 dems and 1 republican.

4 posted on 11/16/2008 7:49:37 PM PST by TruthWillWin
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To: steve-b

I love this. Rather spending his money to expose CBS. Reminds me of the Bible story of the Phillistines turning upon themselves and killing each other


5 posted on 11/16/2008 7:53:22 PM PST by DBCJR (What would you expect?)
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To: steve-b
Among the materials that money has shaken free for Mr. Rather are internal CBS memorandums turned over to his lawyers, showing that network executives used Republican operatives to vet the names of potential members of a panel....

Didn't Dan use dem operatives to vet the information for his infamous forged Lucy Ramirez story and document?

6 posted on 11/16/2008 7:53:28 PM PST by TruthWillWin
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To: steve-b

Rather suggesting an investigation might be politically motivated.

Now THAT is rich.


7 posted on 11/16/2008 7:54:19 PM PST by freedumb2003 (Der neuen Fuhrer: AKA the Murdering Messiah: Keep your power dry, folks)
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To: steve-b

Would that be something if Freepers need call as Rather witnesses or CBS witnesses LOL!


8 posted on 11/16/2008 7:54:45 PM PST by SevenofNine ("We are Freepers, all your media belong to us, resistence is futile")
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To: steve-b

Thanks steve-b,here’s a bump.


9 posted on 11/16/2008 7:55:27 PM PST by fatima
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To: DBCJR

LOL!

“What’s the frequency Kenneth?”

Rather and Bill Moyers are two loathesome Texans. I think both worked for LBJ? I know Moyers did but I think dan the dummy worked at CBS during Nam.


10 posted on 11/16/2008 7:56:09 PM PST by Frantzie
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To: Frantzie

I remember in one of the biographies of LBJ, his secretary was named Rather. Not sure if they are related.


11 posted on 11/16/2008 7:59:10 PM PST by yarddog
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To: DB
Not just that!

Dan Blather said they were “authenticated” documents from “unimpeachable sources”.

Their document authentication experts REFUSED to authenticate them, only the signature was said to be “consistent” by the signature expert, who said he couldn't authenticate a copy.

Moreover they were not from “unimpeachable sources” but from ONE highly impeachable nut-ball source.

12 posted on 11/16/2008 8:00:31 PM PST by allmendream (Wealth is EARNED not distributed.... so how could it be Redistributed?)
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To: steve-b
"A fool and his money are soon parted."

Thus far, Danny boy has coughed up 2 million dollars to prove the validity of that statement.

Even IF he were to prevail in his legal action, by the time it's all over, nobody (with the exception of Rather himself) is going to care one way or the other.

"As a reporter - and I don't want to say that that's the only context - I've tried everything. I can say to you with confidence, I know a fair amount about LSD. I've never been a social user of any of these things, but my curiosity has carried me into a lot of interesting areas."
- Dan Rather to journalist Cliff Jahr. (Houston Press 12/2004)

13 posted on 11/16/2008 8:01:21 PM PST by mkjessup (Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina is RIGHT. McCain screwed us all. Welcome Comrade 0bama.)
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To: Frantzie

Rather helped cover the Kennedy assassination. Probably his big break.


14 posted on 11/16/2008 8:02:13 PM PST by dr_who
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To: Frantzie

Us Texans are noted for our pride, but these two are downright shameful


15 posted on 11/16/2008 8:07:48 PM PST by DBCJR (What would you expect?)
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To: steve-b

What am I missing here? So what if CBS wanted to include a conservative on their investigative panel? It is as if the NYT AND Rather think conservatives have two heads and should never be included in anything.


16 posted on 11/16/2008 8:08:49 PM PST by Arizona Carolyn
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To: Frantzie

I met Bill Moyers at a dinner hosted by the President of NYU some years ago. I must say that up close he seemed particularly loathsome, although I was very careful not to say so.

As for the lawsuit—Go Dan!


17 posted on 11/16/2008 8:19:24 PM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: mkjessup

“- I’ve tried everything. I can say to you with confidence, I know a fair amount about LSD. I’ve never been a social user of any of these things, but my curiosity has carried me into a lot of interesting areas.”

Never knew he played with LSD. That explains a lot.

I first had my doubts about Rather’s sanity during his coverage of Desert Storm. He was in a helicopter, pointing out an open door, and speaking to the camera, explaining to his audience the geography below. He would point in one direction and authoritatively assert, “Over there is Iraq”, then point in a different direction and say “There, Iran” then again in a third direction, “And there, Syria”. The only problem was that there was DENSE FOG outside and neither he nor his audience could actually see a bloody thing. He was pointing into a directionless mist (”Over there lies Iraq; beyond there, Iran...”). I thought to myself, “This guy is loony-tunes.”


18 posted on 11/16/2008 8:21:02 PM PST by GoodDay (Palin for POTUS 2012)
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To: yarddog
And Sirhan Sirhan’s mother was named “Dan Maples”. Don't know if there is any connections either.
19 posted on 11/16/2008 8:25:19 PM PST by JSteff (It was ALL about SCOTUS. Most forget about that and may have doomed us for a generation or more.)
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To: DBCJR

Wasn’t that the story where they were jawboned by an ass?


20 posted on 11/16/2008 8:32:23 PM PST by Young Werther (Julius Caesar (Quae Cum Ita Sunt. Since these things are so.))
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